HBA-CCH H.C.R. 109 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.C.R. 109 By: Gutierrez Public Health 3/6/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Due to the numerous federal, state, and local health and human services providers located in Texas, senior citizens, people with disabilities, victims of crime, children and adolescents, military personnel, and other Texas residents could benefit from a simple way to access information regarding the availability of health and human services. The Texas Information & Referral Network (TIRN) streamlines access to health and human services by providing 25 area information centers that a person may call to gain health and human services information and assistance. A toll-free, three-digit hotline number is the next step in simplifying access to health and human services information. The Federal Communications Commission recently authorized states to use a 2-1-1 number to provide access to the information and referral network. The 2-1-1 initiative in Texas is a public and private partnership that has already received approximately $5 million from private donations, and TIRN has been cooperating with the Public Utility Commission to establish a statewide 2-1-1 network. H.C.R. 109 supports a statewide 2-1-1 telephone network. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.C.R. 109 declares support for the establishment of a statewide 2-1-1 information and referral telephone network to link residents to health and human services information and assistance.