SRC-AMY S.B. 121 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterS.B. 121
By: Lindsay
State Affairs
8/18/2003
Enrolled

DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently,  the governing board of a municipal hospital, a municipal
hospital authority, a hospital district, or a nonprofit health maintenance
organization created by one or more community centers is not required to
conduct open meetings to discuss pricing or financial planning relating to
bids or negotiations for the arrangement or provision of services or
product lines. However, some hospital district health maintenance
organization boards are composed of a majority of public sector members,
which places them under the jurisdiction of the Open Meetings Act. S.B.121
clarifies that the board of a hospital district health maintenance
organization that is subject to the Open Meetings Act is able to go into a
closed session to discuss financial matters in the same manner as the
above listed entities.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 551.085, Government Code, by adding Subsections
(a) and (b), as follows: 

 (a)  Creates this subsection from existing text.

(b)  Provides that the governing board of a health maintenance
organization created under Section 281.0515 (Procedures for Health
Maintenance Organization), Health and Safety Code, that is subject to the
open meetings law is not required to conduct an open meeting to discuss
pricing or financial planning information relating to services or product
lines. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2003.