HBA-LJP H.B. 1640 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1640
By: Rangel
Higher Education
3/18/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

According to the 2000 report "Texas-Mexico Border Health Education Needs: A
Report to the 77th Legislature" of the Texas Department of Health and the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas-Mexico border region
(border region) has a population-to-pharmacist ratio of 1,770:1, which is
32 percent higher than the statewide ratio.  The report contends that the
border's rapid population growth and difficulty in recruiting and retaining
pharmacists, and the lack of an increase in the number of pharmacist
graduates in Texas over the last couple of years, contribute to the
pharmacist shortage in the border region. Currently, there are no public
pharmacy schools in the border region and a pharmacy school in South Texas
may help relieve the shortage of pharmacists in the border region.  House
Bill 1640 creates a professional school of pharmacy at Texas A&M
University-Kingsville. 
 
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1640 amends the Education Code to require the board of regents
of The Texas A&M University System (board) to establish and maintain, no
later than the 2005-2006 academic year, a professional school of pharmacy
at Texas A&M University-Kingsville if the legislature appropriates money
specifically for the school of pharmacy.  If the money is not appropriated
from the legislature, the bill authorizes the board to establish and
maintain the school of pharmacy at any time using other appropriations
available for that purpose. 

The bill also requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to
prepare an impact statement examining the initial implementation of the
bill and to deliver a copy of the statement to the board and to the chair
of the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary
jurisdiction over higher education. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.