RLV S.B. 913 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS PUBLIC HEALTH S.B. 913 By: Sibley (Berlanga) 5-8-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Last session, SB 979 authorized the Medically Underserved Community-State Matching Grant Program, under the Texas Department of Health (TDH). The program offers a matching grant to communities that have made a commitment to bring a primary care physician to a medically underserved area. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, and the short deadline for funding proposals requests, a small number of applicants applied for these new grants. Chapter 46 of the Health and Safety Code establishes guidelines for the matching program. Two of the guidelines provide that the new physician (1) conduct a full-time clinical practice in the community; and (2) have completed a primary care residency program within the past seven years. During the first round of applications for the grant money, applicant communities had a difficult time meeting the criteria. In meetings with the Center for Rural Health Initiatives (CRHI) and TDH to discuss these problems, it was concluded that in addition to revisions in grant criteria, the transferring of the matching program from TDH to the CRHI in order to ensure the successfulness of the program was discussed. PURPOSE S.B. 913 removes Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, relating to the medically underserved community-state matching incentive program, and redesignates it under Chapter 106E, Health and Safety Code, under the Center for Rural Health Initiatives, rather than the Texas Board of Health. This bill also revises two of the guidelines relating to the incentive program. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does grant rulemaking authority to the executive committee of the Center for Rural Health Initiatives in SECTION 1 (Section 106.104, Health and Safety Code). SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, to redesignate it as Chapter 106E, Health and Safety Code, as follows: Sec. 106.101. DEFINITIONS. Redesignates from Section 46.001. Makes conforming changes. Sec. 106.102. is amended to require the executive committee of the Center for Rural Health Initiatives (executive committee), rather than the Texas Board of Health (board), to establish and administer a program under this subchapter to increase the number of physicians providing primary care in medically underserved communities. Deletes text limiting a medically underserved community to sponsoring a physician who has completed a primary care residency program within seven years of application to the medically underserved community-state matching incentive program. Makes conforming changes. Sec. 106.103. ELIGIBILITY. Makes conforming changes. Sec. 106.104. RULES. Requires the executive committee to adopt rules necessary for the administration of this subchapter. Deletes text requiring the executive committee to adopt rules regarding a requirement of a full-time clinical practice for participating physicians. Makes conforming changes. Sec. 106.105. FUNDING. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. (a) Requires the board, by September 1, 1998, to transfer the obligations, property, and rights that the board had under former Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, as redesignated by this Act, to the Center for Rural Health Initiatives (center). Provides that the center assumes all of the obligations, property, and rights of the board under Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, as exercised by the board immediately before the effective date of this Act. Provides that all unexpended funds appropriated to the board under Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, are transferred to the center. Requires the transfer of the obligations, property, and rights of the board under Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, to be completed by September 1, 1998. (b) Provides that all rules of the board relating to Chapter 46, Health and Safety Code, are continued in effect as rules of the center until superseded by a rule of the center. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.