BILL ANALYSIS
By: Madla
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The 59th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 1965, established the Maverick County Hospital District (district) to deliver health care services to the people of Maverick County. In the enabling Act, the legislature set forth all of the guidelines and regulations by which the district was to operate. Health care and its delivery system exist in an environment that changes rapidly. Due to this changing environment, the district is faced with an obligation to deliver services under authority that is no longer adequate to meet the needs of Maverick County. To remedy the situation, the board of directors of the district has asked that its enabling statute be modified to improve the district's ability to fulfill its obligation to deliver health care services.
As proposed, S.B. 1026 updates the responsibilities and duties of the Maverick County Hospital District in an effort to protect the district from financial hardships and gives it appropriate authority to efficiently deliver health care services.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 3, Chapter 172, Acts of the 59th Legislature, Regular Session, 1965, as follows:
Sec. 3. PURPOSE OF DISTRICT. Provides that the Maverick County Hospital District (district) authorized to be created by this Act is charged with the responsibility of undertaking any measure, consistent with Section 9 (Hospital Districts; Creation, Operation, Powers, Duties and Dissolution), Article IX, Texas Constitution, and this Act, that the Board of Directors (board) determines is necessary to provide hospital and medical care to the needy residents of the district. Requires the district to undertake any measure, consistent with Section 9, Article IX, Texas Constitution, and this act, that the board of directors determines is necessary to provide hospital and medical care, rather than all necessary hospital and medical care, for the needy inhabitants of the district.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 11(n), Chapter 172, Acts of the 59th Legislature, Regular Session, 1965, to authorize the board, based on the estimated amount of revenues and balances available to cover the proposed annual budget for the district, to annually determine the type and extent of hospital and medical care services offered by the district.
SECTION 3. Effective date
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2005.