Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 773 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize and set out conditions under which the commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation may appoint a manager or management team to manage and operate a community center.

            The department must notify the center and local agency or combination of agencies responsible for making appointments to the local board of trustees regarding the appointment of the manager or management team and the circumstances on which the appointment is based. The commissioner may require the center to pay costs incurred by the manager or management team and must evaluate the performance of a community center managed by a manager or team each month to determine the feasibility of restoring the center's management and operation to a local board of trustees. The authority of the manager or management team continues until the commissioner determines that the center is able to manage and operate the facility appropriately or when the department cancels its contract with the center, after which the commissioner must restore authority to manage and operate the center to the center's authorized officers and employees. The act authorizes the center to appeal the commissioner's decision to appoint a manager or management.