,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ajhb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #ae1       
#bjag,mr4 ,guthrie 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,mullin7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,energy and ,commerce  ,a ,,bill  ,to  
amend title ,,xix of the ,social        
,security ,act to eliminate the ,state  
option to reduce the home equity        
exemption amount for purposes of        
eligibility for long-term care          
assistance under ,medicaid1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,medicaid ,home
 ,owner ,maximum ,equity ,improvement   
,act or the ,medicaid ,,home            
,improvement ,act4  #b4 ,eliminating    
,state option to reduce medicaid home   
equity exemption amount for purposes of 
determining eligibility for long-term   
care assistance  7a7 ,in general        
,section #aiag7;f77#a7 of the ,social   
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#acifp7f77#a77 is amended--  7#a7 in    

subparagraph 7,a71 by striking          
subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c7 and         
inserting subparagraph 7,b72  7#b7 by   
striking subparagraph 7,b72  7#c7 by    
redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as      
subparagraph 7,b72 and  7#d7 in         
subparagraph 7,b71 as so redesignated1  
by striking dollar amounts specified in 
this paragraph and inserting dollar     
amount specified in subparagraph 7,a74  
7b7 ,effective date  7#a7 ,in general   
,the amendments made by subsection 7a7  
shall apply with respect to eligibility 
determinations made after the date that 
is #ahj days after the date of the      
enactment of this section4  7#b7        
,exception for ,state legislation ,in   
the case of a ,state plan under title   
,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act that
 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human   
,services determines requires ,state    
legislation in order for the respective 
plan to meet any requirement imposed by 
amendments made by this section1 the    
respective plan shall not be regarded as

 failing to comply with the requirements
 of such title solely on the basis of   
its failure to meet such an additional  
requirement before the first day of the 
first calendar quarter beginning after  
the close of the first regular session  
of the ,state legislature that begins   
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act4 ,for purposes of the previous     
sentence1 in the case of a ,state that  
has a #b-year legislative session1 each 
year of the session shall be considered 
to be a separate regular session of the 
,state legislature4