Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2992 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9264 AND-F
2	2	By: Tepper H.B. No. 2992
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the name and function of the rural veterinarian
10	10	incentive program.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter G, Chapter 56,
13	13	Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
14	14	SUBCHAPTER G. RURAL AND SHELTER VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE PROGRAM
15	15	SECTION 2. Section 56.101, Education Code, is amended to
16	16	read as follows:
17	17	Sec. 56.101. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
18	18	(1) "Account" means the rural and shelter veterinarian
19	19	incentive program account.
20	20	(2) "College" means a college of veterinary medicine
21	21	located in this state and accredited by the American Veterinary
22	22	Medical Association Council on Education.
23	23	(3) "Committee" means the rural and shelter
24	24	veterinarian incentive program committee.
25	25	(4) "Eligible participant" means a person eligible to
26	26	participate in the program under Section 56.104.
27	27	(5) "General academic teaching institution" has the
28	28	meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
29	29	(6) "High-quality, high-volume spay and neuter
30	30	clinic" means an animal shelter or a veterinary clinic that:
31	31	(A) spays or neuters, on average, at least 40
32	32	dogs per business day; and
33	33	(B) charges a below-market fee for a spay or
34	34	neuter procedure.
35	35	(7) "Program" means the rural and shelter veterinarian
36	36	incentive program established by this subchapter.
37	37	(8) [(7)] "Rural county" means a county in this state
38	38	with a population of less than 150,000.
39	39	(9) "Shelter medicine" includes all areas of
40	40	veterinary practice relevant to the care and management of stray,
41	41	homeless, abandoned, or unwanted animals.
42	42	(10) [(8)] "University system" has the meaning
43	43	assigned by Section 61.003.
44	44	SECTION 3. The heading to Section 56.103, Education Code,
45	45	is amended to read as follows:
46	46	Sec. 56.103. RURAL AND SHELTER VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE
47	47	PROGRAM COMMITTEE; RULES.
48	48	SECTION 4. Section 56.103, Education Code, is amended by
49	49	amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (f) to read
50	50	as follows:
51	51	(a) The rural and shelter veterinarian incentive program
52	52	committee consists of:
53	53	(1) the executive director of the Texas Animal Health
54	54	Commission, or the executive director's designee;
55	55	(2) the executive director of the State Board of
56	56	Veterinary Medical Examiners, or the executive director's
57	57	designee;
58	58	(3) the dean of each accredited college of veterinary
59	59	medicine located in this state, or the dean's designee;
60	60	(4) a veterinarian with a mixed animal practice,
61	61	representing each university system located in Texas with an
62	62	accredited college of veterinary medicine, appointed by the board
63	63	of regents of each university system;
64	64	(5) a veterinarian with a large animal practice,
65	65	representing each university system located in Texas with an
66	66	accredited college of veterinary medicine, appointed by the board
67	67	of regents of each university system; [and]
68	68	(6) a practitioner of veterinary medicine who serves
69	69	as a commissioner of the Texas Animal Health Commission, appointed
70	70	by the chair of the Texas Animal Health Commission; and
71	71	(7) two shelter medicine practitioners who are
72	72	associated with an animal shelter, appointed by the president of
73	73	the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
74	74	(d) The committee shall adopt rules:
75	75	(1) establishing criteria to determine whether a
76	76	person is an eligible participant as the committee considers
77	77	reasonable, including the person's:
78	78	(A) background and interest in rural practice or
79	79	shelter medicine; and
80	80	(B) financial need;
81	81	(2) providing for requesting the distribution of money
82	82	from the account for the program;
83	83	(3) establishing the criteria necessary [for a
84	84	community or political subdivision in a rural county] to qualify as
85	85	a student sponsor under Section 56.105;
86	86	(4) governing agreements of financial support between
87	87	a [rural] sponsor and an eligible student; and
88	88	(5) establishing other procedures necessary to
89	89	administer the program.
90	90	(f) In adopting rules under this section, the committee:
91	91	(1) is not required to disburse money under the
92	92	program evenly among all eligible participants; and
93	93	(2) shall ensure that financial assistance provided
94	94	under the program provides the maximum benefit to communities by
95	95	filling areas of need in large-animal, mixed-animal, or shelter
96	96	medicine practice.
97	97	SECTION 5. The heading to Section 56.105, Education Code,
98	98	is amended to read as follows:
99	99	Sec. 56.105. [RURAL] SPONSORS; AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE
100	100	FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
101	101	SECTION 6. Sections 56.105(a) and (b), Education Code, are
102	102	amended to read as follows:
103	103	(a) A community or political subdivision located in a rural
104	104	county or any community or political subdivision within which a
105	105	high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter clinic is located that
106	106	qualifies under the rules of the committee may become a sponsor of
107	107	an eligible participant and may provide financial support to the
108	108	eligible participant under the program.
109	109	(b) To participate as a sponsor in the program, the
110	110	community or political subdivision must enter into an agreement
111	111	with the eligible participant to provide financial support to the
112	112	eligible participant in an amount not less than the tuition and fees
113	113	required for a full academic year for a student enrolled in a
114	114	college in exchange for the eligible participant's agreement to
115	115	practice veterinary medicine:
116	116	(1) in a rural county, anywhere in the sponsoring
117	117	community or political subdivision; or
118	118	(2) in a high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter
119	119	clinic located in the sponsoring community or political
120	120	subdivision.
121	121	SECTION 7. The heading to Section 56.106, Education Code,
122	122	is amended to read as follows:
123	123	Sec. 56.106. FINANCIAL SUPPORT; COMMITMENT TO PRACTICE IN
124	124	RURAL COUNTY OR HIGH-QUALITY, HIGH-VOLUME SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC.
125	125	SECTION 8. Section 56.106(a), Education Code, is amended to
126	126	read as follows:
127	127	(a) To participate in the program, an eligible participant
128	128	must enter into an agreement with the Texas Higher Education
129	129	Coordinating Board that:
130	130	(1) requires the participant to practice veterinary
131	131	medicine in a rural county or in a high-quality, high-volume spay
132	132	and neuter clinic for one calendar year for each academic year for
133	133	which the participant receives financial support under the program;
134	134	(2) specifies the conditions the participant must
135	135	satisfy to receive financial support under the program;
136	136	(3) provides that any financial support the
137	137	participant receives under the program constitutes a loan until the
138	138	participant satisfies the conditions of the agreement; and
139	139	(4) requires the participant to sign a promissory note
140	140	acknowledging the conditional nature of the financial support
141	141	received under the program and promising to repay the amount of the
142	142	financial support, any applicable interest, and reasonable
143	143	collection costs if the participant does not satisfy the conditions
144	144	of the agreement.
145	145	SECTION 9. The heading to Section 61.9965, Education Code,
146	146	is amended to read as follows:
147	147	Sec. 61.9965. RURAL AND SHELTER VETERINARIAN INCENTIVE
148	148	PROGRAM ACCOUNT.
149	149	SECTION 10. Sections 61.9965(a) and (b), Education Code,
150	150	are amended to read as follows:
151	151	(a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
152	152	administer the rural and shelter veterinarian incentive program
153	153	account in accordance with Subchapter G, Chapter 56, to provide
154	154	assistance in the repayment of student loans for eligible
155	155	veterinarians who apply and qualify for the assistance under the
156	156	rules of the Texas Animal Health Commission rural and shelter
157	157	veterinarian incentive program committee.
158	158	(b) The rural and shelter veterinarian incentive program
159	159	account is an account in the general revenue fund. The account is
160	160	composed of:
161	161	(1) gifts, grants, in-kind contributions, or real or
162	162	personal property contributed to the account from any individual,
163	163	group, association, or corporation or the United States, subject to
164	164	limitations or conditions set by law, for the purposes of this
165	165	subchapter;
166	166	(2) earnings on the principal of the account; and
167	167	(3) other amounts deposited to the credit of the
168	168	account, including:
169	169	(A) money deposited from a community or political
170	170	subdivision that qualifies under the rules authorized by Section
171	171	56.105 to become a sponsor of an eligible participant under the
172	172	program; and
173	173	(B) legislative appropriations deposited to the
174	174	account.
175	175	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.