AN ACT
1-1 relating to providing financial incentives to veterinary college
1-2 students and graduates who agree to practice in a rural county.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 88, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-5 Subchapter I to read as follows:
1-6 SUBCHAPTER I. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM
1-7 Sec. 88.621. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-8 (1) "College" means The Texas A&M University College
1-9 of Veterinary Medicine.
1-10 (2) "Committee" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-11 program committee.
1-12 (3) "Eligible participant" means a person eligible to
1-13 participate in the program under Section 88.624.
1-14 (4) "Fund" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-15 fund.
1-16 (5) "Program" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-17 program established by this subchapter.
1-18 (6) "Rural county" means a county with a population of
1-19 less than 50,000.
1-20 (7) "University" means Texas A&M University.
1-21 Sec. 88.622. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM. The university
1-22 shall administer the program in accordance with the rules adopted
1-23 by the committee.
1-24 Sec. 88.623. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM COMMITTEE;
2-1 RULES. (a) The rural veterinarian incentive program committee
2-2 consists of:
2-3 (1) the executive director of the Texas Animal Health
2-4 Commission, or the executive director's designee;
2-5 (2) the executive director of the State Board of
2-6 Veterinary Medical Examiners, or the executive director's designee;
2-7 (3) the dean of the college;
2-8 (4) a veterinarian with a mixed animal practice
2-9 appointed by the board of regents of The Texas A&M University
2-10 System; and
2-11 (5) a veterinarian with a large animal practice
2-12 appointed by the board of regents of The Texas A&M University
2-13 System.
2-14 (b) The dean of the college serves as the presiding officer
2-15 of the committee.
2-16 (c) An appointed member of the committee serves a term of
2-17 two years.
2-18 (d) The committee shall adopt rules:
2-19 (1) establishing criteria to determine whether a
2-20 person is an eligible participant as the committee considers
2-21 reasonable, including the person's:
2-22 (A) minimum grade point average; and
2-23 (B) financial need;
2-24 (2) providing for the distribution of money from the
2-25 fund for the program;
2-26 (3) establishing the criteria necessary for a
3-1 community or political subdivision in a rural county to qualify as
3-2 a student sponsor under Section 88.625;
3-3 (4) governing agreements of financial support between
3-4 a rural sponsor and an eligible student; and
3-5 (5) establishing other procedures necessary to
3-6 administer the program.
3-7 Sec. 88.624. ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR GRADUATE. A
3-8 person is eligible to participate in the program only if the
3-9 person:
3-10 (1) is enrolled as a student of the college or applies
3-11 to participate in the program on or before the first anniversary of
3-12 the date the person graduates from the college;
3-13 (2) will receive or has received from a student loan
3-14 at least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees for one or
3-15 more academic years while enrolled in the college; and
3-16 (3) meets any additional qualifications adopted by the
3-17 committee.
3-18 Sec. 88.625. RURAL SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL
3-19 SUPPORT. (a) A community or political subdivision located in a
3-20 rural county that qualifies under the rules of the committee may
3-21 become a sponsor of an eligible participant and may provide
3-22 financial support to the eligible participant under the program.
3-23 (b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the
3-24 community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement
3-25 with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the
3-26 eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and
4-1 fees required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in
4-2 the college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to
4-3 practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or
4-4 political subdivision.
4-5 (c) Financial support under this section:
4-6 (1) may be provided in whole or part by a grant,
4-7 scholarship, or funds provided by a private foundation; and
4-8 (2) shall be deposited in the fund for distribution to
4-9 the eligible participant by the university.
4-10 Sec. 88.626. FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO PRACTICE IN
4-11 RURAL COUNTY. (a) To participate in the program, an eligible
4-12 participant must enter into an agreement with the university to
4-13 practice veterinary medicine in a rural county for one calendar
4-14 year for each academic year for which the student receives
4-15 financial support under the program.
4-16 (b) The financial support received by an eligible
4-17 participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student
4-18 loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to the university while the
4-19 eligible participant is enrolled in the college.
4-20 (c) Financial support from the fund shall be awarded in the
4-21 form of grants.
4-22 Sec. 88.627. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE FUND. (a) The
4-23 rural veterinarian incentive fund is a special fund in the state
4-24 treasury outside the general revenue fund.
4-25 (b) The fund consists of legislative appropriations for
4-26 purposes of the program, gifts, grants, donations, the market value
5-1 of in-kind contributions, and other sources of revenue deposited to
5-2 the credit of the fund by the university.
5-3 (c) The fund shall be administered by the university in
5-4 accordance with rules adopted by the committee. The university may
5-5 use a portion of the money deposited to the credit of the fund, not
5-6 to exceed 10 percent of that amount, for the administration of the
5-7 program.
5-8 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
5-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1183 passed the Senate on
April 26, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 28, 1999, by a
viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1183 passed the House, with
amendment, on May 26, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
_______________________________
Date
_______________________________
Governor