By Cuellar, R.                                          H.B. No. 33
       74R1816 JSA-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the establishment and operation of an academic health
    1-3  center in the Rio Grande Valley.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 74, Education Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subchapter L to read as follows:
    1-7       SUBCHAPTER L.  RIO GRANDE VALLEY ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER
    1-8        Sec. 74.611.  AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH OR PARTICIPATE IN
    1-9  CENTER.  (a)  The Board of Regents of The University of Texas
   1-10  System may execute and carry out affiliation or coordination
   1-11  agreements with any other entity or institution in Cameron,
   1-12  Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, or Willacy County to establish or to
   1-13  participate in the establishment or operation of an academic health
   1-14  center in any of those counties.  The academic health center may be
   1-15  used to provide clinical, postgraduate, including internship and
   1-16  residency, or other levels of medical educational work in those
   1-17  counties in connection with any component institution or
   1-18  institutions of The University of Texas System as the board
   1-19  determines appropriate.  The primary purpose of the center is to
   1-20  provide medical education in primary medical care, but education in
   1-21  other medical disciplines may also be provided.
   1-22        (b)  The board may execute and carry out affiliation,
   1-23  coordination, or other agreements with any other person or
   1-24  institution necessary to conduct and operate the center as a
    2-1  first-class institution.
    2-2        (c)  The board may utilize the facilities and staffs of other
    2-3  state biomedical units.
    2-4        SECTION 2.  Section 110.06, Education Code, is amended to
    2-5  read as follows:
    2-6        Sec. 110.06.  Agreements with Other Schools.  (a)  The board
    2-7  may, when in the best interests of medical education at the Health
    2-8  Sciences Center, execute and carry out affiliation or coordinating
    2-9  agreements with any other entity or institution in the Lubbock
   2-10  area, Amarillo area, El Paso area, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb,
   2-11  and Willacy counties area, and the Odessa-Midland area to provide
   2-12  clinical, postgraduate, including internship and residency, or
   2-13  other levels of medical educational work for the Health Sciences
   2-14  Center.  Additionally, the board may execute and carry out
   2-15  affiliation or coordinating agreements with any other entity or
   2-16  institution necessary to conduct and operate the Health Sciences
   2-17  Center as a first-class institution.  The board may utilize the
   2-18  facilities and staffs of other state biomedical, health education,
   2-19  or patient care units.
   2-20        (b)  Medical educational work provided under this section in
   2-21  the Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, and Willacy counties area shall
   2-22  be provided through an academic health center with the primary
   2-23  purpose of providing medical education in primary medical care.
   2-24  The academic health center may be operated by The University of
   2-25  Texas System.
   2-26        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-27  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-1  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-2  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-3  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    3-4  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    3-5  passage, and it is so enacted.