HBA-KMH C.S.H.B. 2042 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2042
By: Turner, Bob
Higher Education
3/18/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Center for Rural Health Initiatives implements a program
which provides physicians with student loan forgiveness or financial
support for practicing medicine in rural areas.  The mission of this
program is to provide rural areas with assistance where there is a shortage
of primary care physicians.    

C.S.H.B. 2042 creates the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program which is a
similar program to the physician's program of the Center for Rural Health
Initiatives.  The program offers a means of providing financial support to
students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M
University or to those who have applied to participate in the program,
under certain conditions. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill
expressly delegates rulemaking authority to the rural veterinarian
incentive program committee in SECTION 1 (Sections 88.623 and 88.627,
Education Code), of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 88, Education Code, by adding Subchapter I, as
follows: 

SUBCHAPTER I.  RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Sec.  88.621.   DEFINITIONS.  Defines "college," "committee," "eligible
participant," "fund," "program," "rural county," and "university." 

Sec.  88.622.  ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.  Requires the university to
administer the program according to the rules adopted by the committee. 

Sec. 88.623.  RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM COMMITTEE; RULES. Sets
forth the composition of the committee.  Provides that the dean of the
college serves as the chair of the committee.  Requires the committee to
adopt specified rules. 

Sec.  88.624.  ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE.   Provides that a
person is eligible to participate in the program if the person is enrolled
in the college or applied to participate in the program within one year of
the date of graduation from the college and will receive, or has received,
at least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees from a student loan,
and meets any additional qualifications adopted by the committee. 

Sec.  88.625.  RURAL SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
Authorizes a community or political subdivision located in a rural county
that qualifies under the rules of the committee  to be a sponsor or provide
financial support to an eligible participant under the program.  Provides
that a sponsor must enter into an agreement of financial support to fund at
least one full year of tuition and fees for an eligible participant
enrolled in the college in exchange for the eligible participant's
agreement to practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or
political subdivision.  Authorizes  financial support under this section to
be satisfied in whole or in part by a grant, scholarship, or private
foundation.  Requires financial support under this section also to be
deposited in the fund for distribution to the student by the university. 

Sec.  88.626.  FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO PRACTICE IN RURAL COUNTY.
Provides that a student participating in the program must enter into an
agreement with the university to practice veterinary medicine in a rural
county for one calendar year for each academic year of financial support
received by the student.  Provides that financial support received by a
student under this chapter must be used to retire student loan debt or pay
tuition and fees to the university while the eligible participant is
enrolled in the college. Requires financial support from the fund to be
awarded in the form of grants. 

Sec.  88.627.  RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE FUND.  Provides that the rural
veterinarian incentive fund is a fund in the state treasury outside of the
general revenue fund and consists of revenue deposited to the credit of the
fund by the university, including legislative appropriations.  Requires the
fund to be administered by the university in accordance with the rules
adopted by the committee. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
                       Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

SECTION 1: C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by placing the rural
veterinarian incentive Program created by this bill in Subchapter I,
Chapter 88, Education Code, rather than Chapter 89, Subtitle B, Title 3,
Education Code.  The substitute further modifies the original by adding
definitions for "eligible participant" and "university," and striking
definitions of "commission" and "board" from the original. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by making the section entitled
"Administration of Program" the second section in the subchapter and
redesignating the other sections accordingly. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by renaming the section setting forth
composition of the committee "Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program
Committee; Rules" from "Rural Veterinarian Assistance Program Advisory
Committee."  The substitute further modifies the original by providing more
exact guidelines and additional options for filling the required committee
positions, including authorizing the executive director of the Texas Animal
Health Commission and the executive director of the State Board of
Veterinary Medical Examiners, to designate persons to sit on the committee
in their place.  The substitute requires the committee to adopt, rather
than promulgate, rules. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by naming the section setting forth
eligibility requirements of student participants "Eligible Veterinary
Student or Graduate" rather than "Eligible Students."  The substitute
alters the eligibility provisions by providing that a person must meet any
additional qualifications set by the board, rather than simply permitting
the board to establish a minimum grade point average for eligibility. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by naming the section describing rural
sponsors "Rural Sponsors; Agreement to Provide Financial Support" rather
than "Rural Sponsors."  The substitute further modifies the original by
requiring that a sponsor must contract to sponsor in exchange for the
eligible participant's agreement to practice in the locale of the sponsor. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by naming the section describing
financial support under the program "Financial Support: Commitment to
Practice in Rural County" rather than "Financial Support." The substitute
further modifies the original by limiting the support provided by a sponsor
to when the eligible participant is enrolled in college. 

C.S.H.B. 2042 modifies the original by providing that the rural
veterinarian incentive fund is outside the general revenue fund.