Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4324 Compare Versions

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1	1	81R3847 KEL-D
2	2	By: Chisum H.B. No. 4324
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to repayment assistance for certain physician education
8	8	loans.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 61.532, Education Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 61.532. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive
13	13	repayment assistance, a physician must apply to the coordinating
14	14	board, have graduated from a medical school of an institution of
15	15	higher education, and have completed at least one year of medical
16	16	practice:
17	17	(1) in private practice in an economically depressed
18	18	or rural medically underserved area of the state;
19	19	(2) for one of the following state agencies:
20	20	(A) the [Texas] Department of State Health
21	21	Services;
22	22	(B) the [Texas] Department of Aging and
23	23	Disability Services [Mental Health and Mental Retardation];
24	24	(C) the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
25	25	[Corrections]; or
26	26	(D) the Texas Youth Commission; [or]
27	27	(3) for an approved family practice residency training
28	28	program established under Subchapter I as a clinical faculty member
29	29	and have completed training in an approved family practice
30	30	residency training program on or after July 1, 1994; or
31	31	(4) in primary care or in a medical specialty of acute
32	32	physician shortage, as determined by the coordinating board in
33	33	consultation with the Department of State Health Services, and in:
34	34	(A) a hospital or clinic with a patient
35	35	population of whom at least 50 percent are uninsured or receive
36	36	Medicaid; or
37	37	(B) a public hospital, as defined by Section
38	38	61.002, Health and Safety Code.
39	39	(b) The coordinating board may by rule provide for repayment
40	40	assistance on a pro rata basis for physicians practicing as
41	41	described by Subsection (a)(2), (3), or (4) on a part-time basis
42	42	[for an approved family practice residency training program
43	43	established under Subchapter I of this chapter or a state agency
44	44	specified in Subsection (a) of this section].
45	45	SECTION 2. Section 61.537(a), Education Code, is amended to
46	46	read as follows:
47	47	(a) The coordinating board shall adopt rules necessary for
48	48	the administration of this subchapter, including rules [a rule]
49	49	that:
50	50	(1) set an appropriate [sets a] maximum amount of
51	51	repayment assistance that may be received by a physician in one
52	52	year, except that the maximum amount of repayment assistance that
53	53	may be received in one year by a physician who establishes
54	54	eligibility under Section 61.532(a)(4) may not exceed 33 percent of
55	55	the total amount of the physician's eligible loans under Section
56	56	61.534 or $35,000, whichever amount is less;
57	57	(2) authorize [and a rule that authorizes] the Family
58	58	Practice Residency Advisory Committee to establish priorities
59	59	among eligible physicians for repayment assistance, by
60	60	considering:
61	61	(A) [taking into account] the degree of physician
62	62	shortage;
63	63	(B) [,] geographic locations;
64	64	(C) [,] whether the physician is or will be
65	65	providing service in an economically depressed or rural [a]
66	66	medically underserved area or service as described by Section
67	67	61.532(a)(4);[,] and
68	68	(D) other criteria the committee considers
69	69	appropriate; and
70	70	(3) administer the program under this subchapter in a
71	71	manner that maximizes any matching funds available through the
72	72	National Health Service Corps program of the United States
73	73	Department of Health and Human Services.
74	74	SECTION 3. Section 61.539, Education Code, is amended by
75	75	amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
76	76	follows:
77	77	(b) The amount set aside shall be transferred to the
78	78	comptroller of public accounts to be maintained in the state
79	79	treasury for the sole purpose of repayment of student loans of a
80	80	physician serving:
81	81	(1) in a designated state agency;
82	82	(2) [or] in an area of this state that is economically
83	83	depressed or that is a medically underserved area or health
84	84	professional shortage area, as designated by the United States
85	85	Department of Health and Human Services, that has a current
86	86	shortage of physicians; or
87	87	(3) as described by Section 61.532(a)(4).
88	88	(b-1) Section 403.095, Government Code, does not apply to
89	89	the amount set aside by this section.
90	90	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
91	91	of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
92	92	adopt rules necessary to administer Subchapter J, Chapter 61,
93	93	Education Code, as amended by this Act.
94	94	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
95	95	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
96	96	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
97	97	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
98	98	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.