HBA-MPM C.S.S.B. 1183 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 1183 By: Haywood Higher Education 5/7/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) 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. C.S.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 committee in SECTION 1 (Section 88.623, 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 Texas A&M University (university) to administer the program according to the rules adopted by the rural veterinarian incentive program committee. Sec. 88.623. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM COMMITTEE; RULES. Sets forth the composition of the five-member rural veterinarian incentive program committee (committee). Provides that the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (college) serves as presiding officer. Provides that an appointed committee member serves a two-year term. Requires the committee to adopt certain rules concerning the rural veterinarian incentive program (program). Sec. 88.624. ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for a person to participate in the program. Sec. 88.625. RURAL SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT. Authorizes a community or a political subdivision in a rural county qualifying under the committee's rules to sponsor an eligible participant and to provide the participant financial support under the program. Provides that in order to participate as a program sponsor, the community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the participant in an amount no less than the tuition and fees required for a full academic year for a student 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 to be provided in whole or part by a grant, scholarship, or funds provided by a private foundation and requires it to be deposited in the fund for distribution to the eligible participant by the university. Sec. 88.626. FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO PRACTICE IN RURAL COUNTY. Provides that an eligible participant, in order to participate 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 for which the student receives financial support under the program. Provides that the financial support received by an eligible participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to the university while the 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 (fund) is in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund and that it consists of legislative appropriations for the purposes of the program, 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. Authorizes the university to use no more than 10 percent of the money deposited to the fund for the administration of the program. SECTION 2.Emergency clause. Effective date: 90 days upon adjournment. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 1183 differs from the original in SECTION 1 as follows: The caption of the original related to the creation and administration of the rural veterinarian incentive program, whereas, the substitute caption relates to providing financial incentives to veterinary college students and graduates who agree to practice in a rural county. The original bill proposed that Subtitle D, Title 3, Education Code be amended by adding Chapter 89, whereas the substitute proposes that Chapter 88, Education Code, be amended by adding Subchapter I. This new subchapter adheres to the text of the original bill, and makes the following changes: Sec. 88.621. Redesignated from Section 89.001 of the original. The substitute adds "eligible participant" to the definitions set forth for the purpose of this subchapter, deletes the definitions of "board" and "commission," and modifies the definition of "committee" to refer to the rural veterinarian incentive program committee, rather than advisory committee. Sec. 88.622. Redesignated from Section 89.007 of the original. Requires the university to administer the rural veterinarian incentive program (program) in accordance with the rules adopted, rather than established, by the rural veterinarian incentive program committee (committee). Sec. 88.623. Redesignated from Section 89.002 of the original. New title: RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM COMMITTEE; RULES. The substitute makes modifications within the composition of the committee, and provides that the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University (college) serves as the committee's presiding officer, rather than requiring the dean to serve as committee chair. The substitute also specifies that appointed committee members serve two-year terms and requires the committee to adopt, rather than promulgate, rules with respect to a person's eligibility criteria to participate in the program. The substitute further modifies the specific language of the criteria for greater clarity. Sec. 88.624. Redesignated from Section 89.003 of the original. New title: ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE. The substitute specifies that a person, rather than a student, is eligible to participate in the program if the person meets any additional qualifications adopted by the committee, among other criteria, rather than if the person meets certain minimum grade point average requirements. The substitute also modifies the language of the criteria for greater clarity. Sec. 88.625. Redesignated from Section 89.004 of the original. New title: RURAL SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The substitute modifies the original language for greater clarity, further specifying the eligible participant's agreement to practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring communities or political subdivision. Sec. 88.626. Redesignated from Section 89.005 of the original. New title: FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO PRACTICE IN RURAL COUNTY. The substitute modifies the language of the original for greater clarity. Sec. 88.627. Redesignated from Section 89.006 of the original. New title: RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE FUND. The substitute specifies that the rural veterinarian incentive fund is a special fund in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund. The substitute further authorizes Texas A&M University to use no more than 10 percent of the money deposited to the fund to administer the program. SECTION 2 (effective date) of the original is removed, and the short emergency clause in SECTION 3 of the original is redesignated to SECTION 2 of the substitute.