By Maxey                                              H.B. No. 1653
         76R2481 MCK-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to establishing a task force to create a telemedicine
 1-3     plan.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  (a)  The governor shall appoint a task force to
 1-6     develop a statewide telemedicine plan to increase access to medical
 1-7     care.  The task force is composed of at least one representative
 1-8     from:
 1-9                 (1)  the telemedicine steering committee of the
1-10     Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board;
1-11                 (2)  the Center for Rural Health Initiatives;
1-12                 (3)  the Texas Department of Health;
1-13                 (4)  the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
1-14                 (5)  the Family Practice Residency Advisory Committee
1-15     of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
1-16                 (6)  an academic health center;
1-17                 (7)  the Texas Rural Health Association;
1-18                 (8)  the Texas Organization of Rural and Community
1-19     Hospitals;
1-20                 (9)  the Texas Academy of Family Physicians;
1-21                 (10)  the Texas Telehealth/Education Consortium; and
1-22                 (11)  the Texas Telecommunications Planning Group.
1-23           (b)  The statewide telemedicine plan must:
1-24                 (1)  provide guidelines for the Telecommunications
 2-1     Infrastructure Fund Board for the award of grants for telemedicine
 2-2     projects;
 2-3                 (2)  recommend a telecommunications infrastructure to
 2-4     build and support telemedicine;
 2-5                 (3)  define the role medical schools, teaching
 2-6     hospitals, and public health clinics have in the telemedicine plan;
 2-7                 (4)  establish priorities for the funding of
 2-8     telemedicine sites to serve rural and medically underserved areas;
 2-9                 (5)  provide for the education of health professionals
2-10     in community sites;
2-11                 (6)  make policy recommendations to ensure the quality
2-12     of care and the stability of local health care systems;
2-13                 (7)  designate a group to coordinate statewide
2-14     telemedicine initiatives; and
2-15                 (8)  make recommendations on interstate licensing
2-16     issues related to the practice of medicine using telecommunications
2-17     technology.
2-18           (c)  The task force shall report its recommendations to the
2-19     statewide health coordinating council, the governor, and the
2-20     legislature not later than January 31, 2000.
2-21           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-25     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-26     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-27     passage, and it is so enacted.