BILL ANALYSIS


                                                     C.S.S.B. 760
                                                        By: Madla
                                        Health and Human Services
                                                          4-20-95
                                   Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND

Rural hospital district members often reside long distances from
one another and the medical facilities under their purview.  This
distance can provide a hardship to the members, a barrier to
expeditious actions, and additional cost to the district when
overnight accommodations must be made to facilitate attendance.

Due to technological advances, it is possible to teleconference
fully interactive meetings which fulfill the intent and purposes of
the Open Meetings Act.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 760 authorizes the governing board of a
hospital in a rural county to conduct meetings by telephone
conference call.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or
agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 311, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Subchapter E, as follows:

       SUBCHAPTER E.  MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL

     Sec. 311.061.  DEFINITIONS.  Defines "hospital" and "rural
     county."
     
     Sec. 311.062.  MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL.  (a)
     Authorizes the governing board of a hospital in a rural county
     to conduct an open or closed meeting by telephone conference
     call.
     
     (b) Requires the notice of the telephone meeting to specify,
       as the location of the meeting, the location where meetings
       of the governing board are usually held.  Requires the
       location designated in the notice to provide two-way
       communication during each part of the telephone conference
       meeting that is required to be open to the public under
       Chapter 551, Government Code, and the identification of each
       party to such a meeting to be clearly stated prior to
       speaking.
       
       (c) Requires each part of the telephone meeting that is
       required to be open to the public to be audible to the
       public at the location specified as the location of the
       meeting.  Requires a member of the public meeting to be able
       to participate in the meeting to the same extent the public
       is allowed to participate in a meeting held at a single
       location.
       
       (d) Requires the part of the telephone meeting that is open
       to the public to be tape-recorded and to be made available
       to the public.
       
       SECTION 2.   Amends Chapter 551F, Government Code, by adding Section
551.125, as follows:

     Sec. 551.125.  BOARD MEETINGS FOR CERTAIN HOSPITALS.  (a)
     Authorizes the governing board of a hospital in a rural
     county, except as provided by Subsection (b), to conduct an
     open or closed meeting by telephone conference call as
     provided by Chapter 311E, Health and Safety Code.
     
     (b) Requires the governing board of a hospital in a rural
       county to conduct a minimum of two regularly scheduled
       meetings of that board per year without benefit of the
       telephone conference call under Chapter 311E, Health and
       Safety Code.
       
       (c) Defines "hospital" and "rural county."
       
       SECTION 3.   Emergency clause.
           Effective date: upon passage.