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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the provision of medical care to inmates confined by the |
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "department" means the |
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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SECTION 2. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. (a) The department |
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shall, not later than October 1, 2015, issue a request for proposals |
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to provide medical care to inmates confined by the department. The |
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department shall determine, and specify in the request, the region |
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of the state for which the medical care is to be provided. The |
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inmates for whom care will be provided must be at least 20,000 in |
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number but not more than 30,000, and must include a representative |
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sample of the physical and mental health and custody |
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classifications of inmates. |
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(b) A response to a request for proposals must be due not |
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later than the 180th day after the date the request for proposals is |
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issued by the department. |
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(c) A contract awarded in response to a request for |
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proposals must require that: |
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(1) the department not spend appropriated money to |
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make a payment under the contract without the prior approval of the |
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Legislative Budget Board; and |
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(2) the provision of medical care begin not later than |
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July 1, 2016. |
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SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2019. |
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SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |