| 1 | 1 | | By: Guerra, Muñoz, Jr., Gamez, Longoria, H.B. No. 2171 |
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| 2 | 2 | | Canales, et al. |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the establishment of the Texas Center for Rural Health |
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| 8 | 8 | | Education at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 79, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 11 | 11 | | Section 79.11 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 79.11. TEXAS CENTER FOR RURAL HEALTH EDUCATION. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | In this section, "center" means the Texas Center for Rural Health |
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| 14 | 14 | | Education. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The Texas Center for Rural Health Education is |
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| 16 | 16 | | established at the university. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (c) The organization, control, and management of the center |
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| 18 | 18 | | are vested in the board. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (d) Subject to the availability of money appropriated, |
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| 20 | 20 | | gifted, or granted for the purposes of the center, the center shall: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) perform an initial assessment of rural health |
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| 22 | 22 | | education in this state; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) develop appropriate performance metrics to |
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| 24 | 24 | | measure improvement in rural health education and health care |
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| 25 | 25 | | outcomes; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) conduct research regarding rural health |
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| 27 | 27 | | education, including research to identify: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) best practices in rural health education; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) underserved rural areas; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (4) develop recommendations regarding the allocation |
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| 31 | 31 | | of funding for tuition and loan repayment programs available to |
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| 32 | 32 | | rural health care professionals; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) develop partnerships between high schools, |
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| 34 | 34 | | postsecondary institutions of higher education, and local medical |
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| 35 | 35 | | systems to recruit, train, and retain health care professionals to |
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| 36 | 36 | | serve in underserved rural areas; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (6) develop a plan to improve rural health education |
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| 38 | 38 | | and health care outcomes; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (7) develop and maintain an Internet website that |
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| 40 | 40 | | provides information regarding rural health education research and |
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| 41 | 41 | | resources. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) Subject to the availability of money appropriated, |
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| 43 | 43 | | gifted, or granted for the purposes of the center, not later than |
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| 44 | 44 | | December 1 of each even-numbered year, the center shall submit to |
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| 45 | 45 | | the legislature a report on rural health education and health care |
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| 46 | 46 | | outcomes in this state. The report must include a summary of the |
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| 47 | 47 | | center's activities under Subsection (d) and any recommendations |
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| 48 | 48 | | for legislative or other action. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (f) The university shall encourage public or private |
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| 50 | 50 | | entities to participate in or support the operation of the center |
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| 51 | 51 | | and may enter into an agreement with any public or private entity |
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| 52 | 52 | | for that purpose. An agreement may allow the center to provide |
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| 53 | 53 | | information, services, or other assistance to an entity in exchange |
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| 54 | 54 | | for the entity's participation or support. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (g) The board may solicit, accept, and administer gifts and |
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| 56 | 56 | | grants from any public or private source for the purposes of the |
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| 57 | 57 | | center. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (h) The board may employ personnel for the center as |
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| 59 | 59 | | necessary. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (i) The board may adopt rules as necessary to implement this |
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| 61 | 61 | | section. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2024, the Texas Center |
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| 63 | 63 | | for Rural Health Education shall submit to the legislature the |
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| 64 | 64 | | first biennial report required under Section 79.11, Education Code, |
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| 65 | 65 | | as added by this Act. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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