By Sibley                                        S.B. No. 913

      75R7736 CAG-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the medically underserved community-state matching

 1-3     incentive program.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 46.002(b), Health and Safety Code, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (b)  A medically underserved community may sponsor a

 1-8     physician who has completed a primary care residency program

 1-9     [within seven years of application to this program] and has agreed

1-10     to provide primary care in the community by contributing to

1-11     start-up money for the physician and having that contribution

1-12     matched in whole or in part by state money appropriated to the

1-13     board for that purpose.

1-14           SECTION 2.  Section 46.004, Health and Safety Code, is

1-15     amended to read as follows:

1-16           Sec. 46.004.  RULES.  The board shall adopt rules necessary

1-17     for the administration of this chapter, including:

1-18                 (1)  eligibility criteria for a medically underserved

1-19     community;

1-20                 (2)  eligibility criteria for a physician;

1-21                 (3)  minimum and maximum community contributions to the

1-22     start-up money for a physician to be matched with state money;

1-23                 (4)  conditions under which state money must be repaid

1-24     by a community or physician;

 2-1                 (5)  procedures for disbursement of money by the board;

 2-2                 (6)  the form and manner in which a community must make

 2-3     its contribution to the start-up money; and

 2-4                 (7)  the contents of an agreement to be entered into by

 2-5     the parties to include at least:

 2-6                       (A)  a credit check for an eligible physician;

 2-7     and

 2-8                       (B)  community retention of interest in any

 2-9     property, equipment, or durable goods for seven years[; and]

2-10                       [(C)  the requirement of full-time clinical

2-11     practice for participating physicians].

2-12           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-13           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.