BILL ANALYSIS
By: Chavez
Border and International Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Nonprofit health corporations in Texas must be certified by the State Board of Medical Examiners to contract with or employ physicians and Texas non-profit corporations organized and operated as federally qualified health centers are eligible for such certification. These centers provide necessary health care services in impoverished areas along the Texas-Mexico border but questions exist regarding their ability to employ physicians because of their arrangement with public entity hospitals.
House Bill 1924 clarifies the ability of a federally qualified health center administered by a public entity hospital district and located in a county that borders Mexico to employ physicians.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the State Board of Medical Examiners in SECTION 1 (Sec. 162.001(c), Occupations Code) of this bill.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1 Amends Chapter 162, Occupations Code, by amending Section 162.001 to allow the State Board of Medical Examiners to certify a health organization to contract with or employ physicians licensed by the board if the organization is a hospital district recognized by a federal agency as a public entity for the purposes of receiving a grant related to a community or federally qualified health center organized and operated as a migrant, community, or homeless health center under the authority of and in compliance with 42 U.S.C. Section 254b or 254c or a federally recognized health center under 42 U.S.C. Section 1396d(1)(2)(B) and is located in a county that borders the United Mexican States. SECTION 2 This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2005
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The committee substitute corrected a few drafting errors in the introduced version of the bill. The substitute did not change the effect of the bill.