By Kamel                                         H.B. No. 613

      75R778 MWV-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to hospital care availability for state employees.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  The Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance

 1-5     Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code) is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 5B to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 5B.  PROHIBITED CONTRACTS.  The trustee may not enter

 1-8     into a contract that provides hospital benefits to employees unless

 1-9     the contract requires that each hospital operating in a county in

1-10     which services are provided under the contract is provided an

1-11     opportunity to provide services to employees.

1-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-13     applies to a contract that is entered into or renewed on or after

1-14     January 1, 1998.  A contract that is entered into or renewed before

1-15     January 1, 1998, is governed by the law as it existed immediately

1-16     before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in

1-17     effect for that purpose.

1-18           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.