1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the establishment of a consortium of Alzheimer's
1-3 disease centers.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subtitle H, Title 3, Education Code, is amended
1-6 by adding Chapter 151 to read as follows:
1-7 CHAPTER 151. CONSORTIUM OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CENTERS
1-8 Sec. 151.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council" means
1-9 the Texas Council on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.
1-10 Sec. 151.002. CONSORTIUM; CLINICAL CENTERS. (a) The
1-11 council shall establish a consortium of Alzheimer's disease
1-12 centers, to be initially composed of the Alzheimer's disease
1-13 centers at the Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Tech
1-14 University Health Sciences Center, the University of North Texas
1-15 Health Science Center at Fort Worth, and The University of Texas
1-16 Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. The council may add
1-17 additional consortium participants to the consortium as necessary.
1-18 (b) The council shall provide funds to the consortium
1-19 participants to assist those participants to develop clinical
1-20 centers that meet the standards of the consortium.
1-21 (c) A participant's clinical center may employ any personnel
1-22 necessary to support its activities, including clinical,
1-23 administrative, and data management personnel.
1-24 Sec. 151.003. PROGRAMS. (a) The consortium shall
2-1 coordinate and direct its programs to provide to the extent
2-2 practicable centralized, uniform services among the consortium
2-3 participants.
2-4 (b) The consortium shall:
2-5 (1) offer clinical services to all patients of the
2-6 consortium's clinical centers, notwithstanding the independent
2-7 status of each participant;
2-8 (2) establish a database for:
2-9 (A) making data available to each consortium
2-10 participant according to its specific activities;
2-11 (B) providing a resource index to facilitate
2-12 research projects; and
2-13 (C) providing data on patient health outcomes to
2-14 appropriate state agencies and to researchers in this state; and
2-15 (3) with the aid of the council and the National
2-16 Alzheimer's Association or its affiliate, develop and distribute to
2-17 patients, caregivers, and health care professionals educational
2-18 materials and services and inform patients of any research projects
2-19 and therapeutic trials open for their participation.
2-20 Sec. 151.004. STEERING COMMITTEE. To advise the council on
2-21 consortium activities, the council shall establish a steering
2-22 committee composed of one representative from each consortium
2-23 participant.
2-24 Sec. 151.005. DATA COORDINATING CENTER. (a) The council
2-25 shall establish a data coordinating center to be located at the
2-26 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. To the extent
2-27 practicable, the center shall be operated in association with the
3-1 data management operations of that institution's Alzheimer's
3-2 disease center.
3-3 (b) The data coordinating center shall establish a database
3-4 and make data available to each consortium participant according to
3-5 the specific activities of the participant.
3-6 (c) The council shall appoint a physician or other person
3-7 with a similar clinical background to administer the center.
3-8 (d) The person administering the center may employ any
3-9 personnel necessary to support the center's activities, including a
3-10 project coordinator. The person may require the project
3-11 coordinator to hold a master's or doctoral degree related to public
3-12 health.
3-13 (e) The project coordinator shall coordinate the center's
3-14 activities among the center, the consortium participants, the
3-15 council, and the public.
3-16 Sec. 151.006. FUNDING. (a) The council may receive state
3-17 appropriated funds for the purpose of supporting the research
3-18 activities of the consortium under this chapter.
3-19 (b) The council may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
3-20 donations for purposes of this chapter.
3-21 Sec. 151.007. ACCESS TO DATA. (a) The council may restrict
3-22 access to the data maintained by the consortium or data
3-23 coordinating center to consortium participants that contribute data
3-24 as requested by the council.
3-25 (b) The steering committee periodically shall review and
3-26 evaluate the availability and sharing of data under this section.
3-27 Sec. 151.008. PERFORMANCE REVIEW. The council, with
4-1 recommendations from the steering committee, shall review and
4-2 evaluate the performance of the consortium participants and data
4-3 coordinating center at least every five years.
4-4 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
4-5 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-6 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-7 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-8 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-9 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-10 passage, and it is so enacted.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1504 was passed by the House on May
5, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 1504 on May 27, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0,
1 present, not voting.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1504 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 25, 1999, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor