Highlights of the 76th Texas Legislature - Senate

_____________________ BORDER AFFAIRS
Provides that the governing body of the institute is composed of the chief executive
officer of each entity that is a member of the institute, or the officer's designee.
Allows the governing board to employ an executive director of the institute and any other
officer or employee necessary for the operation of the institute.
Requires the governing board to meet, at least once a year, to review the progress of the
institute and to determine the institute's future actions and operational plans.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY HEALTH CARE SERVICES - H.B. 3504
by Representatives Solis and Flores
Senate Sponsor: Senator Lucio
Requires the Department of Health to contract for the construction of a new physical
facility for outpatient health care services at the site of the current South Texas Hospital
or collocated with the initial site of the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) at a
common site in Harlingen, Texas, and adjacent to the center.
Requires the department to contract for renovations of the facilities at the South Texas
Hospital in order to continue to provide outpatient services until construction of the new
facility is completed. The department would be allowed to contract with a political
subdivision to provide outpatient care. The department would be required to contract with
a public or private health care provider or entity to provide inpatient health care services,
including tuberculosis services, and laboratory services currently provided at the South
Texas Hospital.
◊ Requires the contract to specify that the facility be designed and constructed to
allow for the provision of all outpatient health care services, including outpatient
tuberculosis services, provided at the South Texas Hospital.
◊ Provides that the facility may be designed and constructed to allow for the provision
of additional outpatient health care services.
Provides that in the case of collocation of the initial physical facility with the RAHC, the
contract must specify that, to the maximum extent possible, that facility and the RAHC
must be designed and constructed together to realize potential savings in construction and
long-term maintenance and operations costs.
Requires the board of regents of The University of Texas System to cooperate with the
department to coordinate the structure and design of the facilities.
Allows the Texas Department of Health to contract for the construction of additional
physical facilities for outpatient health care services. Provides that one facility may be
located in McAllen, Texas, and another may be located in Brownsville, Texas.
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Senate Research Center 20 76 th Legislature