SRC-TNM S.B. 1941 75(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1941
By: Haywood
Intergovernmental Relations
5-7-97
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, the Wichita General Hospital is seeking measures to lease the
Bethania Regional Health Care Center.  Texas antitrust laws provide for
certain exemptions to county-city boards in order to lease hospital
facilities.  S.B. 1941 would allow for the acquisition or lease of
hospital facilities by certain county-municipality hospital boards. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1941 outlines provisions regarding granting authority
for certain countymunicipality hospital boards created under Title 4C,
Section 265.031, Health and Safety Code, to acquire, lease or manage other
hospitals within the same county, in order to displace competition with
regulation, maintain local control over health care, and allow
county-municipality hospital boards to benefit from economies of scale. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 265.037, Health and Safety Code, by adding
Subsection (d), to authorize a county-municipality hospital board existing
in a county with a population of more than 100,000 and a city with a
population of more than 75,000 to acquire, lease or manage, directly or
indirectly, and sublease one or more health care facilities as an exercise
of its powers as a public agency and body politic pursuant to state policy
to displace competition with regulation and regardless or whether doing so
might be considered anticompetitive under the antitrust laws of the United
States or this state. 

SECTION 2. Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.