By: Haywood S.B. No. 1183
99S0756/1
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the creation and administration of the Rural
1-2 Veterinarian Incentive Program.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subtitle D, Title 3, Education Code, is amended
1-5 by adding Chapter 89 to read as follows:
1-6 Chapter 89. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM
1-7 Sec. 89.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-8 (1) "Board" means the State Board of Veterinary
1-9 Medical Examiners.
1-10 (2) "College" means the College of Veterinary
1-11 Medicine, Texas A&M University.
1-12 (3) "Commission" means the Texas Animal Health
1-13 Commission.
1-14 (4) "Committee" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-15 program advisory committee.
1-16 (5) "Fund" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-17 program fund.
1-18 (6) "Program" means the rural veterinarian incentive
1-19 program.
1-20 (7) "Rural county" means a county with a population of
1-21 less than 50,000.
1-22 (8) "University" means Texas A&M University.
1-23 Sec. 89.002. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM ADVISORY
1-24 COMMITTEE. (a) The committee is composed of the following five
2-1 members:
2-2 (1) the executive director of the commission;
2-3 (2) the executive director of the board;
2-4 (3) the dean of the college;
2-5 (4) a veterinarian with a mixed animal practice; and
2-6 (5) a veterinarian with a large animal practice.
2-7 (b) The dean of the college shall serve as the chair of the
2-8 committee.
2-9 (c) The committee shall promulgate rules:
2-10 (1) establishing the criteria for students or
2-11 graduates to be eligible to participate in the program, including:
2-12 (A) a minimum grade point average; and
2-13 (B) financial need of the participant;
2-14 (2) governing the distribution of money from the fund
2-15 for the program;
2-16 (3) establishing the criteria necessary for a
2-17 community or political subdivision in a rural county to qualify as
2-18 a rural sponsor;
2-19 (4) governing terms and conditions of agreements of
2-20 financial support between rural sponsors and eligible students; and
2-21 (5) establishing other procedures necessary to
2-22 administer the program.
2-23 Sec. 89.003. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. A student is eligible to
2-24 participate in the program if the student:
2-25 (1) is enrolled with the college or applied to
2-26 participate in the program within one year of the date of
3-1 graduation from the college;
3-2 (2) receives or has received at least 50 percent of
3-3 the funds for tuition and fees from a student loan; and
3-4 (3) meets the minimum grade point average established
3-5 by the committee.
3-6 Sec. 89.004. RURAL SPONSORS. (a) A community or a
3-7 political subdivision in a rural county that qualifies under the
3-8 rules established by the committee under Section 89.002(c)(3) may
3-9 provide financial support to a student described in Section 89.003.
3-10 (b) The rural sponsor shall enter into an agreement with the
3-11 eligible student under Subsection (c).
3-12 (c) An agreement of financial support shall fund at least
3-13 one full year of tuition and fees for an eligible student enrolled
3-14 in the college.
3-15 (d) Financial support under this section:
3-16 (1) may be satisfied in whole or part by a grant,
3-17 scholarship, or private foundation; and
3-18 (2) shall be deposited in the fund for distribution to
3-19 the eligible student by the university.
3-20 Sec. 89.005. FINANCIAL SUPPORT. (a) A student
3-21 participating in the program shall enter into an agreement with the
3-22 university to practice veterinary medicine in a rural county for
3-23 one year for each year of financial support received by the
3-24 student.
3-25 (b) The financial support received by a student under this
3-26 chapter shall be used for the repayment of student loan
4-1 indebtedness or to pay tuition and fees to the university.
4-2 (c) Financial support from the fund shall be awarded in the
4-3 form of grants.
4-4 Sec. 89.006. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM FUND.
4-5 (a) The rural veterinarian incentive program fund is a fund in the
4-6 state treasury.
4-7 (b) The fund consists of legislative appropriations, gifts,
4-8 grants, donations, the market value of in-kind contributions, and
4-9 other sources of revenue deposited to the credit of the fund by the
4-10 university.
4-11 (c) The fund shall be administered by the university in
4-12 accordance with the rules established by the committee.
4-13 Sec. 89.006. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM. The university
4-14 shall administer the program according to the rules established by
4-15 the committee.
4-16 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
4-17 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
4-18 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-19 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-20 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-21 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.