BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 815
By: Lucio
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
During the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, S.B. 1615 was enacted to allow Cameron and Hidalgo counties to pool resources to jointly establish a health services district for the purpose of improving indigent health services. S.B. 1615 requires the South Texas Health Services District to create facilities in Hidalgo and Cameron counties, but to date, neither site has become functional. Officials in both counties have had problems moving forward with the project partly because the law relating to the construction and development of the facilities is so stringent.
S.B. 815 removes some of the location-specific language relating to the establishment of the South Texas Health Care System, including the stipulation that facilities be built in the cities of Harlingen and McAllen. S.B. 815 allows Health Service District facilities to be located anywhere in Hidalgo and Cameron counties, and removes the stipulation that the initial facility erected for this purpose be co-located with the preexisting Regional Academic Health Center.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Sections 1-7, Chapter 1106, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, as follows:
Sec. 1. CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PHYSICAL FACILITIES FOR OUTPATIENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES. (a) Requires the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), rather than the Texas Department of Health, to contract for the construction of at least one, rather than an initial, new physical facility for outpatient health care services, including outpatient tuberculosis, out of funds appropriated for that purpose.
(b) Redesignated text from existing Subsection (e). Authorizes one facility to be located in Hidalgo County, Texas, rather than McAllen, Texas, and another facility to be located in Cameron County, Texas, rather than Brownsville, Texas. Deletes existing text of Subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) relating to specific guidelines for the facility.
Sec. 2. OUTPATIENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES. (a) Requires that all outpatient health care services, including outpatient tuberculosis services, provided by the South Texas Health Care System, rather than the South Texas Hospital, be transferred to that facility or facilities upon completion of the physical facility or facilities. Deletes existing text specifying that a facility be in Harlingen, Texas. Makes conforming changes.
(b) Makes a conforming change.
Sec. 3. INPATIENT HEALTH CARE AND RELATED LABORATORY SERVICES. Makes conforming changes.
Sec. 4. New heading: INTERIM RENOVATION OF PHYSICAL FACILITIES OF SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Makes conforming changes.
Sec. 5. New heading: FUTURE OF SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Requires DSHS, rather than the Texas Board of Health, if DSHS does not use the current physical facilities of the South Texas Health Care System upon completion of the physical facility or facilities required by Section 1 of this Act, to give the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), rather than the Department of Mental Health and Retardation, the first option to lease the current physical facilities of the South Texas Health Care System on completion of construction of the physical facility or facilities for outpatient health care services, and after contracting providers or entities under Section 3 of this Act, have begun providing inpatient health care and related laboratory services. Requires DSHS, if DADS does not lease the facilities, to study and prepare leasing and other options for potential future uses of the facilities.
Deletes existing text of Sec 6 (Continuation of Support Services).
Sec. 7. New heading: DISPLACED EMPLOYEES OF SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Makes conforming changes.
Effective date: 91st day after adjournment. [Bill as drafted does not contain an effective date.]