SRC-PNG S.B. 1183 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1183
By: Haywood
Natural Resources
4/14/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

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.  This bill would establish the Rural Veterinarian
Incentive Program to increase veterinarian practice in rural Texas, similar
to the physicians program. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1183 establishes the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program
to increase veterinarian practice in rural Texas. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is granted to the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program
Advisory Committee in SECTION 1 (Section 89.002(c), Education Code) of this
bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Title 3D, 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 members composing the rural veterinarian incentive program
advisory committee (committee).  Requires the dean of the College of
Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (college) to serve as the chair
of the committee.  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 that qualifies under the rules established by
the committee under Section 89.002(c)(3) to provide financial support to a
student described in Section 89.003.  Requires the rural sponsor to enter
into an agreement with the eligible student under Subsection (c). Requires
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 the financial
support received by a student under this chapter to be used for the
repayment of student loan indebtedness 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 a fund in the state treasury.  Provides that the fund 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.  89.006.  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.