Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1397 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R12133 JSL-D
2	2	By: Campbell S.B. No. 1397
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a rural resident physician grant
8	8	program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by
11	11	designating Section 61.511 as Subchapter I-1 and adding a heading
12	12	to that subchapter to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER I-1. PHYSICIAN RESIDENCY GRANTS
14	14	Sec. 61.511. RESIDENT PHYSICIAN EXPANSION GRANT PROGRAM.
15	15	(a) The board shall administer the Resident Physician Expansion
16	16	Grant Program as a competitive grant program to encourage the
17	17	creation of new graduate medical education positions through
18	18	community collaboration and innovative funding. The board shall
19	19	award grants to physician residency programs at teaching hospitals
20	20	and other appropriate health care entities according to the program
21	21	criteria established under Subsections (b) and (i).
22	22	(b) The board shall establish criteria for the grant program
23	23	in consultation with the executive commissioner of the Health and
24	24	Human Services Commission, with one or more physicians, teaching
25	25	hospitals, medical schools, independent physician residency
26	26	programs, and with other persons considered appropriate by the
27	27	board. The program criteria must:
28	28	(1) take into account the following factors:
29	29	(A) the characteristics of existing residency
30	30	positions that receive state funding;
31	31	(B) current and projected physician workforce
32	32	demographics; and
33	33	(C) state population trends and projections; and
34	34	(2) support the following goals:
35	35	(A) creating new residency positions, with an
36	36	emphasis on creating new first-year residency positions, without
37	37	adversely affecting existing residency positions;
38	38	(B) maximizing local or federal matching funds;
39	39	(C) developing accredited physician residency
40	40	programs at hospitals that have not previously offered residency
41	41	programs; and
42	42	(D) increasing residency positions with respect
43	43	to:
44	44	(i) medical specialties having shortages in
45	45	this state; and
46	46	(ii) medically underserved areas in this
47	47	state.
48	48	(c) The board may provide grants only to support a residency
49	49	position that:
50	50	(1) is created and accredited on or after January 1,
51	51	2014; or
52	52	(2) was created and accredited before January 1, 2013,
53	53	but as of that date had not yet been filled.
54	54	(d) A grant award may be used only to pay direct costs
55	55	associated with the position, including the salary of the resident
56	56	physician.
57	57	(e) Each grant application must specify:
58	58	(1) the number of residency positions expected to be
59	59	created with the grant money; and
60	60	(2) the grant amount requested for each year.
61	61	(f) The board shall award grants for all residency positions
62	62	awarded a grant under this section in the preceding year before
63	63	awarding a grant for a residency position that did not receive a
64	64	grant in the preceding year, provided that the applicable grant
65	65	recipient from the preceding year complies with all conditions of
66	66	the grant as described by Subsection (g).
67	67	(g) The board shall monitor physician residency programs
68	68	receiving grants as necessary to ensure compliance with the grant
69	69	program and shall require the return of any unused grant money by,
70	70	or shall decline to award additional grants to, a residency program
71	71	that receives a grant but fails to:
72	72	(1) create and fill, within a reasonable period, the
73	73	number of residency positions proposed in the program's grant
74	74	application; or
75	75	(2) satisfy any other conditions of the grant imposed
76	76	by the board.
77	77	(h) The board shall use money forfeited under Subsection (g)
78	78	to award grants to other eligible applicants. With respect to the
79	79	physician residency program forfeiting the grant, the board may
80	80	restore grant money or award additional grants, as applicable, to
81	81	the program as soon as practicable after the program satisfies all
82	82	conditions of the grant.
83	83	(i) The board shall adopt rules for the administration of
84	84	the grant program. The rules must include:
85	85	(1) administrative provisions governing:
86	86	(A) eligibility criteria for grant applicants;
87	87	(B) grant application procedures;
88	88	(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
89	89	(D) guidelines relating to the number of grants
90	90	to be awarded each year, subject to available funds;
91	91	(E) procedures for evaluating grant
92	92	applications; and
93	93	(F) procedures for monitoring the use of grants;
94	94	(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants;
95	95	and
96	96	(3) any conditions relating to the receipt and use of a
97	97	grant as considered appropriate by the board.
98	98	(j) Not later than January 1 of each year, the board shall
99	99	prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
100	100	speaker of the house of representatives, the standing committees of
101	101	the senate and house of representatives with responsibility for
102	102	oversight of health and human services issues, and the Legislative
103	103	Budget Board a report that:
104	104	(1) specifies each of the following with respect to
105	105	the preceding program year:
106	106	(A) the number of grants awarded under the
107	107	program;
108	108	(B) the amount of each grant awarded under the
109	109	program;
110	110	(C) the number of residency positions created
111	111	with the support of grant money;
112	112	(D) the medical specialty of the residency
113	113	positions created; and
114	114	(E) whether physicians who complete their
115	115	training through residency positions created under the program
116	116	choose to practice in this state and which medical specialties they
117	117	choose for their practices; and
118	118	(2) makes appropriate recommendations for legislative
119	119	changes as necessary.
120	120	SECTION 2. Subchapter I-1, Chapter 61, Education Code, as
121	121	added by this Act, is amended by adding Section 61.512 to read as
122	122	follows:
123	123	Sec. 61.512. RURAL RESIDENT PHYSICIAN GRANT PROGRAM. (a)
124	124	The board shall administer the Rural Resident Physician Grant
125	125	Program as a competitive grant program to encourage the creation of
126	126	new graduate medical education positions in rural and
127	127	nonmetropolitan areas. The board shall award grants to new or
128	128	expanded physician residency programs at teaching hospitals and
129	129	other appropriate health care entities according to the program
130	130	criteria established under Subsections (b) and (i).
131	131	(b) The board shall establish criteria for the grant program
132	132	in consultation with the executive commissioner of the Health and
133	133	Human Services Commission, with one or more physicians, teaching
134	134	hospitals, medical schools, and independent physician residency
135	135	programs, and with other persons considered appropriate by the
136	136	board. The program criteria must take into account whether a rural
137	137	or nonmetropolitan area has the resources sufficient to support a
138	138	physician residency program in a manner that would satisfy
139	139	applicable residency accreditation requirements.
140	140	(c) The board may provide grants only to support a physician
141	141	residency program that provides the level of medical care that is
142	142	most needed in a rural or nonmetropolitan area.
143	143	(d) Grant funds awarded under this section may be used only
144	144	to pay direct costs associated with creating or maintaining a
145	145	residency position, including the salary of the resident physician.
146	146	(e) Each grant application must specify:
147	147	(1) the number of residency positions expected to be
148	148	created or maintained with the grant money; and
149	149	(2) the grant amount requested for each year.
150	150	(f) The board shall award grants for all residency positions
151	151	awarded a grant under this section in the preceding year before
152	152	awarding a grant for a residency position that did not receive a
153	153	grant in the preceding year, provided that the applicable grant
154	154	recipient from the preceding year complies with all conditions of
155	155	the grant as described by Subsection (g).
156	156	(g) The board shall monitor physician residency programs
157	157	receiving grants as necessary to ensure compliance with the grant
158	158	program and shall require the return of any unused grant money by,
159	159	or shall decline to award additional grants to, a residency program
160	160	that receives a grant but fails to:
161	161	(1) create and fill, within a reasonable period, the
162	162	number of residency positions proposed in the program's grant
163	163	application; or
164	164	(2) satisfy any other conditions of the grant imposed
165	165	by the board.
166	166	(h) The board shall use money forfeited under Subsection (g)
167	167	to award grants to other eligible applicants. With respect to the
168	168	physician residency program forfeiting the grant, the board may
169	169	restore grant money or award additional grants, as applicable, to
170	170	the program as soon as practicable after the program satisfies all
171	171	conditions of the grant.
172	172	(i) The board shall adopt rules for the administration of
173	173	the grant program. The rules must include:
174	174	(1) administrative provisions governing:
175	175	(A) eligibility criteria for grant applicants;
176	176	(B) grant application procedures;
177	177	(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
178	178	(D) guidelines relating to the number of grants
179	179	to be awarded each year, subject to available funds;
180	180	(E) procedures for evaluating grant
181	181	applications;
182	182	(F) procedures for monitoring the use of grants;
183	183	and
184	184	(G) reporting requirements for grant recipients;
185	185	(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants;
186	186	and
187	187	(3) any conditions relating to the receipt and use of a
188	188	grant as considered appropriate by the board.
189	189	SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
190	190	date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
191	191	shall adopt rules for the implementation and administration of the
192	192	grant program established under Section 61.512, Education Code, as
193	193	added by this Act. The board may adopt the initial rules in the
194	194	manner provided by law for emergency rules.
195	195	(b) Not later than October 1, 2015, the Texas Higher
196	196	Education Coordinating Board shall establish the grant program
197	197	required by Section 61.512, Education Code, as added by this Act,
198	198	and shall begin to award grants under that program not later than
199	199	January 1, 2016.
200	200	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
201	201	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
202	202	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
203	203	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
204	204	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.