BILL WOULD PERMIT MEDICAID BUY-IN FOR DISABLED

Sen. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio won passage Thursday of a bill to ease licensing restrictions for manufacturers of orthotics and prosthetics.

(AUSTIN) — A bill passed by the Senate Thursday would make it possible for more parents with disabled children to access Medicaid coverage. SB 921 would permit families with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level to buy Medicaid coverage, with premiums based on a sliding scale that increases as income nears the upper limit. "This bill will address the concerns we have for families who have a disabled child on Medicaid, and because of the eligibility requirements, they're not able to take job promotions or increase their income to help their family without losing eligibility," said bill author Senator Bob Deuell of Greenville.

The Senate also approved a bill that would allow Texans to buy firearms in other states. Senator Craig Estes of Wichita Falls said that an outdated state law prevented Texans from buying guns, ammunition and other accessories in states that did were not contiguous to the state. His bill, SB 1188, would update state law to permit this practice.

A number of other measures passed the Senate Thursday including:

- SB 2225, by Carona, which aims to address growing gang violence along the Texas-Mexico border by creating laws prohibiting gun smuggling,

- SJR 25, by Shapiro, which looks to end the practice of diverting toll road proceeds to other purposes, requiring toll money to go toward transportation needs, and

- SB 1200, by Ogden, which would require legislators to report any contracts they have with the state through which business is conducted in their private lives.

The Senate will reconvene Friday, April 24 at 9 a.m.

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