| 1 | 1 | | By: King of Hemphill H.B. No. 4599 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the transfer of duties of the State Office of Rural |
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| 7 | 7 | | Health from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of |
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| 8 | 8 | | State Health Services. |
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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. On September 1, 2023: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (1) the administration of the State Office of the |
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| 12 | 12 | | Rural Health is transferred from the Office of Rural Affairs under |
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| 13 | 13 | | the Texas Department of Agriculture to the Department of State |
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| 14 | 14 | | Health Services; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) all rules, policies, procedures, and decisions of |
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| 16 | 16 | | the Office of Rural Affairs or the Department of Agriculture |
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| 17 | 17 | | relating to the administration of the State Office of Rural Health |
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| 18 | 18 | | are continued in effect as rules, policies, procedures, and |
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| 19 | 19 | | decisions of the office until superseded by a rule or other |
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| 20 | 20 | | appropriate action by Department of State Health Services; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) a reference in law or administrative rule to the |
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| 22 | 22 | | Department of Agriculture or State Office of Rural Affairs relating |
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| 23 | 23 | | to the administration of the State Office of Rural Affairs means |
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| 24 | 24 | | Department of State Health Services. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 12, Health and Safety |
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| 26 | 26 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 12.021 to read as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | Sec. 12.021. STATE OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH. The department |
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| 28 | 28 | | shall ensure that the office qualifies as the state's office of |
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| 29 | 29 | | rural health for the purpose of receiving grants from the Office of |
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| 30 | 30 | | Rural Health Policy of the United States Department of Health and |
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| 31 | 31 | | Human Services under 42 U.S.C. Section 254r. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. Subdivision 487.051(9), Government Code, is |
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| 33 | 33 | | repealed. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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