| TO: | Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB149 by Nelson (Relating to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend Health and Safety Code to require the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to employ a compliance officer to ensure all grants and employees comply with applicable laws, rules and policies. The bill would also formally require CPRIT to establish a compliance program that would expand current duties of existing staff to implement a telephone hotline for confidential compliance reports. The bill would also require the agency to expand their annual report to include a statement on the agency’s compliance program activities and expand the duties of the Oversight Committee to annually set priorities for grant programs. Additionally, the bill would expand the powers of the Executive Director to waive conflicts of interest for grant reviewers and maintain a written record of the reasoning for each waiver. It is anticipated that any additional costs associated with implementation of the bill could be absorbed within existing resources.
The bill would take effect immediately upon receiving two-thirds majority vote in each house. Otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2013.
| Source Agencies: | 542 Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
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| LBB Staff: | UP, CL, EP, EMo
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