Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1447 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R3492 JRJ-F
2	2	By: Seliger S.B. No. 1447
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the rural veterinarian incentive program.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
10	10	Subchapter G, and a heading is added to that subchapter to read as
11	11	follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER G. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM
13	13	SECTION 2. Sections 88.621, 88.622, 88.623, 88.624, 88.625,
14	14	and 88.626, Education Code, are transferred to Subchapter G,
15	15	Chapter 56, Education Code, as added by this Act, redesignated as
16	16	Sections 56.101, 56.102, 56.103, 56.104, 56.105, and 56.106,
17	17	Education Code, and amended to read as follows:
18	18	Sec. 56.101 [88.621]. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
19	19	(1) "Account" means the rural veterinarian incentive
20	20	program account.
21	21	(2) "College" means a college of veterinary medicine
22	22	located in this state and accredited by the American Veterinary
23	23	Medical Association Council on Education [The Texas A&M University
24	24	College of Veterinary Medicine].
25	25	(3) [(2)] "Committee" means the rural veterinarian
26	26	incentive program committee.
27	27	(4) [(3)] "Eligible participant" means a person
28	28	eligible to participate in the program under Section 56.104
29	29	[88.624].
30	30	[(4) "Fund" means the rural veterinarian incentive
31	31	fund.]
32	32	(5) "General academic teaching institution" has the
33	33	meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
34	34	(6) "Program" means the rural veterinarian incentive
35	35	program established by this subchapter.
36	36	(7) [(6)] "Rural county" means a county in this state
37	37	with a population of less than 100,000 [50,000].
38	38	(8) [(7)] "University system" has the meaning
39	39	assigned by Section 61.003 [means Texas A&M University].
40	40	Sec. 56.102 [88.622]. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM. The Texas
41	41	Animal Health Commission [university] shall administer the program
42	42	in accordance with the rules adopted by the committee.
43	43	Sec. 56.103 [88.623]. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM
44	44	COMMITTEE; RULES. (a) The rural veterinarian incentive program
45	45	committee consists of:
46	46	(1) the executive director of the Texas Animal Health
47	47	Commission, or the executive director's designee;
48	48	(2) the executive director of the State Board of
49	49	Veterinary Medical Examiners, or the executive director's
50	50	designee;
51	51	(3) the dean of each accredited [the] college of
52	52	veterinary medicine located in this state, or the dean's designee;
53	53	(4) a veterinarian with a mixed animal practice,
54	54	representing each university system located in Texas with an
55	55	accredited college of veterinary medicine, appointed by the board
56	56	of regents of each university system [The Texas A&M University
57	57	System]; [and]
58	58	(5) a veterinarian with a large animal practice,
59	59	representing each university system located in Texas with an
60	60	accredited college of veterinary medicine, appointed by the board
61	61	of regents of each university system; and
62	62	(6) a practitioner of veterinary medicine who serves
63	63	as a commissioner of the Texas Animal Health Commission, appointed
64	64	by the chair of the Texas Animal Health Commission [The Texas A&M
65	65	University System].
66	66	(b) The executive director of the Texas Animal Health
67	67	Commission [dean of the college] serves as the presiding officer of
68	68	the committee.
69	69	(c) An appointed member of the committee serves a term of
70	70	two years.
71	71	(d) The committee shall adopt rules:
72	72	(1) establishing criteria to determine whether a
73	73	person is an eligible participant as the committee considers
74	74	reasonable, including the person's:
75	75	(A) background and interest in rural practice
76	76	[minimum grade point average]; and
77	77	(B) financial need;
78	78	(2) providing for requesting the distribution of money
79	79	from the account [fund] for the program;
80	80	(3) establishing the criteria necessary for a
81	81	community or political subdivision in a rural county to qualify as a
82	82	student sponsor under Section 56.105 [88.625];
83	83	(4) governing agreements of financial support between
84	84	a rural sponsor and an eligible student; and
85	85	(5) establishing other procedures necessary to
86	86	administer the program.
87	87	(e) In adopting rules under this section related to the
88	88	selection, submission, or certification of areas identified as
89	89	having a veterinary shortage for the purpose of this subchapter,
90	90	the committee shall consider any applicable regulations adopted
91	91	under 7 U.S.C. Section 3151a and previous work of the Texas Animal
92	92	Health Commission.
93	93	Sec. 56.104 [88.624]. ELIGIBLE VETERINARY STUDENT OR
94	94	GRADUATE. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a [A] person
95	95	is eligible to participate in the program only if the person:
96	96	(1) is enrolled as a student of the college or applies
97	97	to participate in the program on or before the fourth [first]
98	98	anniversary of the date the person graduates from the college;
99	99	(2) will receive or has received from a student loan at
100	100	least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees for one or more
101	101	academic years while enrolled in the college; and
102	102	(3) meets any additional qualifications adopted by the
103	103	committee.
104	104	(b) A person enrolled as a student in an accredited college
105	105	of veterinary medicine located outside of this state may apply
106	106	under Subsection (a) to participate in the program if the student
107	107	graduated from a high school located in this state or a general
108	108	academic teaching institution located in this state.
109	109	Sec. 56.105 [88.625]. RURAL SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE
110	110	FINANCIAL SUPPORT. (a) A community or political subdivision
111	111	located in a rural county that qualifies under the rules of the
112	112	committee may become a sponsor of an eligible participant and may
113	113	provide financial support to the eligible participant under the
114	114	program.
115	115	(b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the
116	116	community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement
117	117	with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the
118	118	eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees
119	119	required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in the
120	120	college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to
121	121	practice veterinary medicine in the sponsoring community or
122	122	political subdivision.
123	123	(c) Financial support under this section:
124	124	(1) may be provided in whole or part by a grant,
125	125	scholarship, or funds provided by a private foundation; and
126	126	(2) shall be deposited in the account [fund] for
127	127	distribution to the eligible participant [by the university].
128	128	Sec. 56.106 [88.626]. FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO
129	129	PRACTICE IN RURAL COUNTY. (a) To participate in the program, an
130	130	eligible participant must enter into an agreement with the
131	131	university system that:
132	132	(1) requires the participant to practice veterinary
133	133	medicine in a rural county for one calendar year for each academic
134	134	year for which the participant [student] receives financial support
135	135	under the program;
136	136	(2) specifies the conditions the participant must
137	137	satisfy to receive financial support under the program;
138	138	(3) provides that any financial support the
139	139	participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the
140	140	participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and
141	141	(4) requires the participant to sign a promissory note
142	142	acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support
143	143	received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the
144	144	financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable
145	145	collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions
146	146	of the agreement.
147	147	(b) The financial support received by an eligible
148	148	participant under this subchapter must be used to retire student
149	149	loan debt or to pay tuition and fees to the university system while
150	150	the eligible participant is enrolled in the college.
151	151	(c) Financial support from the account [fund] shall be
152	152	awarded as a lump sum payable:
153	153	(1) to both the participant and the lender or other
154	154	holder of the affected loan; or
155	155	(2) directly to the lender or other holder of the
156	156	affected loan on the participant's behalf [in the form of grants].
157	157	SECTION 3. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
158	158	Subchapter OO, and a heading is added to that subchapter to read as
159	159	follows:
160	160	SUBCHAPTER OO. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM ACCOUNT
161	161	SECTION 4. Section 88.627, Education Code, is transferred
162	162	to Subchapter OO, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act,
163	163	redesignated as Section 61.9965, Education Code, and amended to
164	164	read as follows:
165	165	Sec. 61.9965 [88.627]. RURAL VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE
166	166	PROGRAM ACCOUNT [FUND]. (a) The Texas Higher Education
167	167	Coordinating Board shall administer the rural veterinarian
168	168	incentive program account in accordance with Subchapter G, Chapter
169	169	56, to provide assistance in the repayment of student loans for
170	170	eligible veterinarians who apply and qualify for the assistance
171	171	under the rules of the Texas Animal Health Commission rural
172	172	veterinarian incentive program committee.
173	173	(b) The rural veterinarian incentive program account [fund]
174	174	is an account [a special fund] in the [state treasury outside the]
175	175	general revenue fund.
176	176	[(b)] The account is composed [fund consists] of:
177	177	(1) [legislative appropriations for purposes of the
178	178	program,] gifts, grants, [donations, the market value of] in-kind
179	179	contributions, or real or personal property contributed to the
180	180	account from any individual, group, association, or corporation or
181	181	the United States, subject to limitations or conditions set by law,
182	182	for the purposes of this subchapter;
183	183	(2) earnings on the principal of the account; and
184	184	(3) other amounts [sources of revenue] deposited to
185	185	the credit of the account, including:
186	186	(A) money deposited from a community or political
187	187	subdivision that qualifies under the rules authorized by Section
188	188	56.105 to become a sponsor of an eligible participant under the
189	189	program; and
190	190	(B) legislative appropriations deposited to the
191	191	account [fund by the university].
192	192	(c) Money and resources in the account shall be made
193	193	available and payable as soon as practicable at the request of the
194	194	Texas Animal Health Commission and may be used only for the
195	195	following purposes:
196	196	(1) to provide financial support as a lump sum to an
197	197	eligible participant under Subchapter G, Chapter 56, the lender or
198	198	other holder of the participant's affected loan, or the
199	199	participant's university system;
200	200	(2) a reasonable amount, not to exceed seven percent
201	201	of the account value, to cover the costs of administration of the
202	202	program; or
203	203	(3) a reasonable amount, not to exceed three percent
204	204	of the account value, as specifically required for the coordinating
205	205	board for administration of the account [The fund shall be
206	206	administered by the university in accordance with rules adopted by
207	207	the committee. The university may use a portion of the money
208	208	deposited to the credit of the fund, not to exceed 10 percent of
209	209	that amount, for the administration of the program].
210	210	(d) The unexpended balance of the account at the end of a
211	211	fiscal year remains in the account subject to further appropriation
212	212	for the purposes described by Subsection (c).
213	213	SECTION 5. The heading to Subchapter I, Chapter 88,
214	214	Education Code, is repealed.
215	215	SECTION 6. On the effective date of this Act, any
216	216	obligations, rights, contracts, records, real and personal
217	217	property, funds, appropriations, and money of the rural
218	218	veterinarian incentive program are transferred from The Texas A&M
219	219	University System to the Texas Animal Health Commission.
220	220	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.