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.