HBA-MPM S.B. 1183 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1183
By: Haywood
Higher Education
4/30/1999
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Center for Rural Health Initiatives has a program which
provides physicians with financial support for student loans for practicing
medicine in rural areas.  S.B. 1183 establishes the Rural Veterinarian
Incentive Program to increase veterinarian practice in rural Texas. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the rural veterinarian incentive
program advisory committee in SECTION 1 (Section 89.002, Education Code) of
this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subtitle D, Title 3, Education Code, by adding Chapter
89, as follows: 

CHAPTER 89.  RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Sec. 89.001. DEFINITIONS. Defines "board," "college,"
"commission,""committee," "fund," "program," "rural county," and
"university."  

Sec. 89.002. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE.  Sets
forth the composition of the five-member rural veterinarian incentive
program advisory committee (committee).  Requires the dean of the College
of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (college) to serve as
committee chair.  Requires the committee to promulgate rules concerning the
rural veterinarian incentive program (program).  

Sec. 89.003. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for
students to participate in the program.  

Sec. 89.004.  RURAL SPONSORS.  Authorizes a community or a political
subdivision in a rural county qualifying under the rules established by the
committee to provide financial support to an eligible student. Requires the
rural sponsor to enter into an agreement of financial support to fund at
least one full year of tuition and fees for an eligible student enrolled in
the college.  Authorizes financial support under this section to be
satisfied in whole or part by a grant, scholarship, or private foundation,
and requires financial support to be deposited in the rural veterinarian
incentive program fund (fund) for distribution to the eligible student by
the university.  

Sec. 89.005.  FINANCIAL SUPPORT.  Requires a student participating in the
program to enter into an agreement with Texas A&M University (university)
to practice veterinary medicine in a rural county for one year for each
year of financial support received by the student.  Requires financial
support received by a student to be used for the repayment of a student
loan or to pay tuition and fees to the university.  Requires financial
support from the fund to be awarded in the form of grants.  

Sec. 89.006.  RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM FUND.  Provides that
the fund is in the state treasury and that it consists of legislative
appropriations, gifts, grants, donations, the market value of in-kind
contributions, and other sources of revenue deposited to the credit of the
fund by the university.  Requires the fund to be administered by the
university in accordance with the rules established by the committee.  

Sec. 89.007.  ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM.  Requires the university to
administer the program according to the rules established by the committee.

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.