Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB670 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Birdwell, et al. S.B. No. 670
2		-	(Price)
	1	+	S.B. No. 670
3	2
4	3
5		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	4		AN ACT
7	5		relating to the appointment of the commissioners of the health and
8	6		human services agencies by the governor.
9	7		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	8		SECTION 1. Section 531.0055(a), Government Code, is amended
11	9		to read as follows:
12	10		(a) In this section [and in Section 531.0056], "agency
13	11		director" means the commissioner of a health and human services
14	12		agency.
15	13		SECTION 2. Section 1001.051, Health and Safety Code, is
16	14		amended by amending Subsections (a), (a-3), (a-4), and (b) and
17	15		adding Subsection (a-5) to read as follows:
18	16		(a) The governor [executive commissioner] shall appoint a
19	17		commissioner of the department with the advice and consent of the
20	18		senate [approval of the governor]. The commissioner is to be
21	19		selected according to education, training, experience, and
22	20		demonstrated ability.
23	21		(a-3) The governor [executive commissioner] may, based on
24	22		the qualifications and experience in administering public health
25	23		systems, appoint [employ] a person other than a physician as the
26	24		commissioner.
27	25		(a-4) If the governor appoints [executive commissioner
28	26		employs] a person as commissioner who is not a physician, then the
29	27		executive commissioner shall designate a person licensed to
30	28		practice medicine in this state as chief medical executive.
31	29		(a-5) The commissioner shall be appointed without regard to
32	30		race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin.
33	31		(b) The commissioner serves at the pleasure of the governor
34	32		[executive commissioner].
35	33		SECTION 3. Section 40.027, Human Resources Code, is amended
36	34		by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
37	35		read as follows:
38	36		(a) The governor [executive commissioner] shall appoint a
39	37		commissioner with the advice and consent of the senate [in
40	38		accordance with Section 531.0056, Government Code]. The
41	39		commissioner is to be selected according to education, training,
42	40		experience, and demonstrated ability.
43	41		(a-1) The commissioner shall be appointed without regard to
44	42		race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin.
45	43		(b) The commissioner serves at the pleasure of the governor
46	44		[executive commissioner].
47	45		SECTION 4. The following are repealed:
48	46		(1) Section 531.0056, Government Code; and
49	47		(2) Section 1001.051(a-1), Health and Safety Code.
50	48		SECTION 5. As soon as possible after the effective date of
51	49		this Act, the governor shall appoint the commissioner of state
52	50		health services and the commissioner of the Department of Family
53	51		and Protective Services as required by Section 1001.051, Health and
54	52		Safety Code, as amended by this Act, and Section 40.027, Human
55	53		Resources Code, as amended by this Act, respectively. A person
56	54		serving as the commissioner of state health services or the
57	55		commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services on
58	56		the effective date of this Act continues to serve in that capacity
59	57		until the governor makes the appointments required by this section.
60	58		SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
	59	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	60	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	61	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 670 passed the Senate on
	62	+	March 29, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	63	+	______________________________
	64	+	Secretary of the Senate
	65	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 670 passed the House on
	66	+	May 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, one
	67	+	present not voting.
	68	+	______________________________
	69	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	70	+	Approved:
	71	+	______________________________
	72	+	Date
	73	+	______________________________
	74	+	Governor