| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the establishment of the Texas Center for Rural Health |
|
|
Education at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 96, Education Code, is amended by adding Section |
|
|
96.03 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 96.03. TEXAS CENTER FOR RURAL HEALTH EDUCATION. (a) In |
|
|
this section, "center" means the Texas Center for Rural Health |
|
|
Education. |
|
|
(b) The board shall establish the Texas Center for Rural |
|
|
Health Education at the university. |
|
|
(c) The organization, control, and management of the center |
|
|
are vested in the board. |
|
|
(d) The center shall: |
|
|
(1) perform an initial assessment of rural health |
|
|
education in this state; |
|
|
(2) develop appropriate performance metrics to |
|
|
measure improvement in rural health education and health care |
|
|
outcomes; |
|
|
(3) conduct research regarding rural health |
|
|
education, including research to identify: |
|
|
(A) best practices in rural health education; and |
|
|
(B) underserved rural areas; |
|
|
(4) develop recommendations regarding the allocation |
|
|
of funding for tuition and loan repayment programs available to |
|
|
rural health care professionals; |
|
|
(5) develop partnerships between high schools, |
|
|
postsecondary institutions of higher education, and local medical |
|
|
systems to recruit, train, and retain health care professionals to |
|
|
serve in underserved rural areas; |
|
|
(6) develop a plan to improve rural health education |
|
|
and health care outcomes; and |
|
|
(7) develop and maintain an Internet website that |
|
|
provides information regarding rural health education research and |
|
|
resources. |
|
|
(e) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, |
|
|
the center shall submit to the legislature a report on rural health |
|
|
education and health care outcomes in this state. The report must |
|
|
include a summary of the center's activities under Subsection (d) |
|
|
and any recommendations for legislative or other action. |
|
|
(f) The university shall encourage public or private |
|
|
entities to participate in or support the operation of the center |
|
|
and may enter into an agreement with any public or private entity |
|
|
for that purpose. An agreement may allow the center to provide |
|
|
information, services, or other assistance to an entity in exchange |
|
|
for the entity's participation or support. |
|
|
(g) The board may solicit, accept, and administer gifts and |
|
|
grants from any public or private source for the purposes of the |
|
|
center. |
|
|
(h) The board may employ personnel for the center as |
|
|
necessary. |
|
|
(i) The board may adopt rules as necessary to implement this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2024, the Texas Center |
|
|
for Rural Health Education shall submit to the legislature the |
|
|
first biennial report required under Section 96.03, Education Code, |
|
|
as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |