Title GV, Government Code

Sec. 487.502. GIFTS AND GRANTS. The department may accept gifts, grants, and donations to support the rural physician recruitment program. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1112, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Redesignated from Health and Safety Code Sec. 106.252 and amended by Act…

Sec. 487.503. RURAL PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT PROGRAM. (a) Subject to available funding, the department shall establish a process in consultation with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for selecting Texas medical schools to recruit students from rural communities and enco…

Sec. 487.551. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Health professional" means a person other than a physician who holds a license, certificate, registration, permit, or other form of authorization required by law or a state agency rule that must be obtained by an individual to p…

Sec. 487.553. LOAN REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM. Subject to available funding, the department shall establish a program to assist communities in recruiting health professionals to practice in medically underserved communities by providing loan reimbursement for health professionals who …

Sec. 487.554. STIPEND PROGRAM. (a) Subject to available funding, the department shall establish a program to assist communities in recruiting health professionals to practice in medically underserved communities by providing a stipend to health professionals who agree to serve in…

Sec. 487.555. CONTRACT REQUIRED. (a) A health professional may receive assistance under this subchapter only if the health professional signs a contract agreeing to provide health care services in a medically underserved community. (b) A student in a degree program preparing to b…

Sec. 487.556. POWERS AND DUTIES OF DEPARTMENT. (a) The department shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including guidelines for: (1) developing contracts under which loan reimbursement or stipend recipients provide services to qualifying communit…

Sec. 487.557. USE OF TELECOMMUNICATION AND TELEMEDICINE. A health professional who participates in a program under this subchapter may not use telecommunication technology, including telemedicine, as the sole or primary method of providing services and may not use telecommunicati…

Sec. 487.558. PERMANENT ENDOWMENT FUND. (a) The permanent endowment fund for the rural communities health care investment program is a special fund in the treasury outside the general revenue fund. (b) The fund is composed of: (1) money transferred to the fund at the direction of…

Sec. 487.559. ADMINISTRATION AND USE OF FUND. (a) The department may administer the permanent endowment fund for the rural communities health care investment program. If the department elects not to administer the fund, the comptroller shall administer the fund. (b) The administr…

Sec. 487.560. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. The department shall provide a report on the permanent endowment fund for the rural communities health care investment program to the Legislative Budget Board not later than November 1 of each year. The report must include the total amount of …

Sec. 487.601. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine in this state under Subtitle B, Title 3, Occupations Code. (2) "Relief services" means the temporary coverage of a physician's practice by another physician for a predeterm…

Sec. 487.602. RURAL PHYSICIAN RELIEF PROGRAM. Subject to available funding, the department shall create a program to provide affordable relief services to rural physicians practicing in the fields of general family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics to fa…

Sec. 487.603. FEES. (a) The department shall charge a fee for rural physicians to participate in the program. (b) The fees collected under this section shall be deposited in a special account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only to the department for administ…

Sec. 487.604. FUNDING. The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, donations, and contributions to support the program. Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 609, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 112 (H.B. 1918), Sec. 78, eff. Septembe…

Sec. 487.605. RELIEF PHYSICIAN'S EXPENSES. The department shall pay a physician providing relief under the program using fees collected by the center. Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 609, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 112 (H.B. 1918), …

Sec. 487.606. PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT OF RELIEF PHYSICIANS. (a) The department shall assign physicians to provide relief to a rural area in accordance with the following priorities: (1) solo practitioners; (2) counties that have fewer than seven residents per square mile; (3) countie…

Sec. 487.607. RELIEF PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT. The department shall actively recruit physicians to participate in the program as relief physicians. The department shall concentrate on recruiting physicians involved in an accredited residency program in general pediatrics, general in…

Sec. 487.651. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Community telecommunications alliance" means an association of public and private entities created to share resources, promote innovative school health technology, promote economic development opportunities for the community, an…

Sec. 487.652. RULES GOVERNING PROGRAM. (a) Subject to available funding, the community telecommunications alliance program shall: (1) assist local communities in the creation and development of community telecommunications alliances, including alliances established to pursue rura…

Sec. 487.654. PROHIBITION. A community telecommunications alliance may not directly or indirectly: (1) provide telecommunications or information services to the public; (2) resell or share telecommunications or information services obtained through grants or loans received under …

Sec. 487.751. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "rural county" means a county that has a population of not more than 125,000. Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 712 (H.B. 2235), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007. Renumbered from Government Code, Section 487.701 by Acts 2009, 81st Le…

Sec. 487.752. GRANT PROGRAM. (a) Subject to available funds, the department shall establish a grant program under which the department awards grants to public institutions of higher education, public high schools, and governmental entities located in a rural county for the develo…

Sec. 487.753. FUNDING. The department may seek, receive, and spend money received through an appropriation, grant, donation, or reimbursement from any public or private source to implement this subchapter. Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 712 (H.B. 2235), Sec. 1, eff. Jun…