SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Texas Section 487.001 - Definitions
In this chapter: (1) Repealed by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 148, Sec. 44(1), eff. September 1, 2013. (2) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of...
SUBCHAPTER B ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
- Texas Section 487.003 - Reference In Law
(a) A reference in this chapter or other law to the Texas Department of Rural Affairs or the Office of Rural Community Affairs means the...
SUBCHAPTER C GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES
- Texas Section 487.026 - Director
The director serves as the chief executive officer of the office and performs the administrative duties of the office. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg.,...
- Texas Section 487.051 - Powers And Duties
(a) The office shall: (1) assist rural communities in the key areas of economic development, community development, rural health, and rural housing; (2) serve as...
- Texas Section 487.052 - Rules
The department may adopt rules as necessary to implement this chapter. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1424, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001....
- Texas Section 487.055 - Advisory Committees
(a) The commissioner may appoint advisory committees as necessary to assist the office in performing its duties. An advisory committee may be composed of private...
- Texas Section 487.060 - Report To Secretary Of State
(a) In this section, "colonia" means a geographic area that: (1) is an economically distressed area as defined by Section 17.921, Water Code; (2) is...
SUBCHAPTER D OUTSTANDING RURAL SCHOLAR RECOGNITION AND LOAN PROGRAM FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE
- Texas Section 487.061 - Emergency Services District Program
(a) The department shall serve as a resource to provide interested rural communities with: (1) general information about emergency services districts; and (2) information and...
- Texas Section 487.101 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Selection committee" means the Outstanding Rural Scholar Selection Committee. (2) "Fund" means the outstanding rural scholar fund. (3) "Postsecondary educational institution"...
- Texas Section 487.102 - Administration
The department shall administer or contract for the administration of the program. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1424, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1,...
- Texas Section 487.103 - Selection Committee
(a) The selection committee shall advise the department on the progress of the program. (b) The selection committee is composed of 12 members appointed by...
- Texas Section 487.104 - Selection Of Outstanding Rural Scholars
(a) The selection committee shall select outstanding rural scholars through a statewide competition. (b) The selection committee shall make selections based on criteria approved by...
- Texas Section 487.105 - Eligibility For Outstanding Rural Scholar Competition
(a) To be eligible to participate in the competition under Section 487.104, a high school student or an undergraduate student at a postsecondary educational institution...
- Texas Section 487.106 - Eligibility For Loans; Rural Community Financial Support
(a) For an outstanding rural scholar to be eligible for a forgivable loan, community sponsorship must include financial support. (b) Community financial support consists of...
- Texas Section 487.107 - Awarding Of Loans
(a) The selection committee shall recommend to the department guidelines for the awarding of forgivable loans to outstanding rural scholars. (b) The department, acting on...
- Texas Section 487.108 - Amount Of Loan
(a) On confirmation of an outstanding rural scholar's admission to a postsecondary educational institution, or on receipt of an enrollment report of the scholar at...
- Texas Section 487.109 - Loan Forgiveness
(a) The principal balance and interest for one year of a forgivable loan awarded to an outstanding rural scholar must be forgiven for each year...
- Texas Section 487.110 - Fund
(a) The outstanding rural scholar fund is in the state treasury. (b) The fund consists of legislative appropriations, gifts, grants, donations, the market value of...
- Texas Section 487.111 - Postsecondary Educational Institutions; Monitoring
(a) A postsecondary educational institution shall provide to the selection committee a copy of the academic transcript of each rural scholar for whom the institution...
SUBCHAPTER E HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
- Texas Section 487.112 - Adoption And Distribution Of Rules
(a) The department shall adopt reasonable rules to enforce the requirements, conditions, and limitations under this subchapter. (b) The department shall set the rate of...
- Texas Section 487.151 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Fund" means the health careers education fund. (2) "Postsecondary educational institution" means: (A) an institution of higher education, as defined by...
- Texas Section 487.152 - Administration
(a) Subject to available funding, the department shall administer or contract for the administration of the program. (b) The department may solicit and accept gifts,...
- Texas Section 487.153 - Health Careers Promotion
The department may establish a program to work with students, communities, and community-based organizations to encourage high school students to pursue health care professional careers....
- Texas Section 487.154 - Loans
(a) The department may award forgivable educational loans to eligible students under this subchapter. (b) The department may award forgivable loans to eligible students based...
- Texas Section 487.155 - Student Eligibility
(a) To be eligible to receive a loan under this subchapter, a student must: (1) be sponsored by an eligible community; (2) at the time...
- Texas Section 487.156 - Community Eligibility
(a) To be eligible to sponsor a student under this subchapter, a community must: (1) be located in a qualified area in this state; and...
- Texas Section 487.157 - Amount Of Loan
(a) On confirmation of an eligible student's admission to a postsecondary educational institution, or on receipt of an enrollment report of the student at a...
- Texas Section 487.158 - Required Contract
(a) A student may receive assistance under this subchapter only if the student signs a contract agreeing to provide health care services to the sponsoring...
- Texas Section 487.159 - Loan Forgiveness
(a) A loan recipient shall be forgiven the principal and interest of one year's loan for each year the recipient practices as a health care...
- Texas Section 487.160 - Fund
(a) The health careers education fund is established in the state treasury. (b) The department shall administer the fund. (c) The fund consists of gifts,...
- Texas Section 487.161 - Reporting; Monitoring
(a) The department shall require reports from students, communities, and postsecondary educational institutions as needed to monitor the program. After receiving any necessary releases as...
- Texas Section 487.162 - Program Promotion
The department shall provide postsecondary educational institutions and communities in qualified areas with information about health care careers and loan opportunities, including information on eligibility...
SUBCHAPTER F MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY-STATE MATCHING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
- Texas Section 487.163 - Adoption Of Rules
(a) The department shall adopt reasonable rules to enforce the requirements, conditions, and limitations of this subchapter. (b) The department shall set the rate of...
- Texas Section 487.201 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Medically underserved community" means: (A) a community located in an area in this state with a medically underserved population; (B) a...
- Texas Section 487.202 - Program
(a) The department shall establish and administer a program under this subchapter to increase the number of physicians providing primary care in medically underserved communities....
- Texas Section 487.203 - Eligibility
To be eligible to receive money from the department, a medically underserved community must: (1) apply for the money; and (2) provide evidence satisfactory to...
SUBCHAPTER G TEXAS HEALTH SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM FOR MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS
- Texas Section 487.204 - Rules
The department shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including rules addressing: (1) eligibility criteria for a medically underserved community; (2) eligibility...
- Texas Section 487.251 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Medically underserved area" means an area designated by the United States secretary of health and human services as having: (A) a...
- Texas Section 487.252 - Texas Health Service Corps Program
(a) Subject to available funding, the department shall establish a program to assist communities in recruiting and retaining physicians to practice in medically underserved areas....
- Texas Section 487.253 - Administration
(a) The department shall adopt rules necessary to administer this subchapter, and the department shall administer the program in accordance with those rules. (b) The...
- Texas Section 487.254 - Required Contract
(a) The department may award a stipend to a physician under this subchapter if the physician enters into a written contract to provide services in...
- Texas Section 487.255 - Stipends
(a) The department shall award stipends to physicians for one-year periods. A stipend awarded under this subchapter may not exceed $15,000 each year. (b) The...
SUBCHAPTER H RURAL HEALTH FACILITY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
- Texas Section 487.256 - 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...
- Texas Section 487.301 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Public hospital" means a general or special hospital licensed under Chapter 241, Health and Safety Code, that is owned or operated...
- Texas Section 487.302 - Powers Of Department
In administering this subchapter, the department may: (1) enter into and enforce contracts and execute and deliver conveyances and other instruments necessary to make and...
- Texas Section 487.303 - Grant, Loan, And Loan Guarantee Program
(a) The department may use money appropriated to the department under Section 403.1065 to make a grant or low-interest loan to, or guarantee a loan...
SUBCHAPTER I COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT NONENTITLEMENT PROGRAM
- Texas Section 487.304 - Eligibility For Grant, Loan, Or Loan Guarantee; Interest Rate
(a) The department shall adopt rules that establish eligibility criteria for receiving a grant, loan, or loan guarantee under this subchapter. (b) The rules must...
- Texas Section 487.351 - Administration Of Community Development Block Grant Program; Allocation Of Funds
(a) The department shall, under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Pub.L. No. 97-35) and 24 CFR, Part 570, Subpart I, administer the state's...
SUBCHAPTER J DESIGNATING RURAL HOSPITALS
- Texas Section 487.354 - Financial Assistance For Installation Of Street Lights In Colonias
(a) In this section, "colonia" means an identifiable unincorporated community, or an identifiable community annexed by a municipality and eligible for assistance as described by...
SUBCHAPTER K COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE AWARENESS AND MENTORING PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS
- Texas Section 487.401 - Administration
(a) The department shall adopt rules that establish a procedure for designating a hospital as a rural hospital in order for the hospital to qualify...
- Texas Section 487.451 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Health care professional" means: (A) an advanced nurse practitioner; (B) a dentist; (C) a dental hygienist; (D) a laboratory technician; (E)...
- Texas Section 487.452 - Community Healthcare Awareness And Mentoring Program For Students
(a) Subject to available funding, the department, in collaboration with Area Health Education Center Programs, shall establish a community healthcare awareness and mentoring program for...
- Texas Section 487.453 - Administration
(a) The department shall administer or contract for the administration of the program. (b) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, donations, and contributions...
SUBCHAPTER L RURAL PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT PROGRAM
- Texas Section 487.454 - Grants; Eligibility
(a) Subject to available funding, the department shall develop and implement, as a component of the program, a grant program to support employment opportunities in...
- Texas Section 487.501 - Definitions
In this subchapter: (1) "Rural community" means a rural area as defined by the department. (2) "Medical school" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.501,...
- Texas Section 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,...
SUBCHAPTER M RURAL COMMUNITIES HEALTH CARE INVESTMENT PROGRAM
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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....
- Texas Section 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...
SUBCHAPTER N RURAL PHYSICIAN RELIEF PROGRAM
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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"...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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,...
- Texas Section 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,...
- Texas Section 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...
SUBCHAPTER O COMMUNITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE PROGRAM
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 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...
SUBCHAPTER P TEXAS RURAL FOUNDATION
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 487.701 - Creation Of Foundation
(a) The department shall establish the Texas Rural Foundation as a nonprofit corporation that complies with Chapter 22, Business Organizations Code, except as otherwise provided...
- Texas Section 487.702 - Powers And Duties
(a) The Texas Rural Foundation shall raise money from foundations, governmental entities, and other sources to finance health, community, and economic development programs in the...
- Texas Section 487.703 - Board Of Directors
(a) The Texas Rural Foundation is governed by a board of an odd number of at least nine and not more than 15 directors appointed...
- Texas Section 487.704 - Restrictions On Board Appointment, Membership, And Employment
(a) In this section, "Texas trade association" means a cooperative and voluntarily joined association of business or professional competitors in this state designed to assist...
- Texas Section 487.705 - Removal Of Board Member
(a) It is a ground for removal from the board of directors of the Texas Rural Foundation that a member: (1) is ineligible for membership...
- Texas Section 487.706 - Vacancy
A vacancy on the board of directors of the Texas Rural Foundation shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same...
- Texas Section 487.707 - Officers
The board of directors of the Texas Rural Foundation shall elect from among its members a presiding officer, an assistant presiding officer, and other officers...
- Texas Section 487.708 - Meetings
The board of directors of the Texas Rural Foundation may meet as often as necessary, but shall meet at least twice a year. Transferred from...
- Texas Section 487.709 - Tax Exemption
All income, property, and other assets of the Texas Rural Foundation are exempt from taxation by the state and political subdivisions of the state. Transferred...
- Texas Section 487.710 - Memorandum Of Understanding
The Texas Rural Foundation and the department shall enter into a memorandum of understanding that: (1) requires the board of directors and staff of the...
- Texas Section 487.711 - Records
(a) The Texas Rural Foundation shall maintain financial records and reports independently from those of the department. (b) The Texas Rural Foundation shall comply with...
- Texas Section 487.712 - Report To Department
Not later than the 60th day after the last day of the fiscal year, the Texas Rural Foundation shall submit to the department a report...
SUBCHAPTER Q RURAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER GRANT PROGRAM
- Texas Section 487.713 - Prohibited Use Of Funds
Funds administered by the Texas Rural Foundation may not be used to provide an abortion or a referral for an abortion, unless there is a...
- Texas Section 487.751 - Definition
In this subchapter, "rural county" means a county that has a population of not more than 125,000. Renumbered from Government Code, Section 487.701 by Acts...
- Texas Section 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...
SUBCHAPTER R TEXAS RURAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
- Texas Section 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...
- Texas Section 487.801 - Definition
In this subchapter, "advisory council" means the Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council established under this subchapter. Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg.,...
- Texas Section 487.802 - Establishment And Composition Of Advisory Council; Presiding Officer
(a) The commissioner shall establish the Texas Rural Health and Economic Development Advisory Council, composed of the following members: (1) one local official in this...
- Texas Section 487.803 - Duties Of Advisory Council
The advisory council shall: (1) advise the commissioner, director, and office on rural policy priorities, including priorities for the use and allocation in this state...
- Texas Section 487.804 - Rural Policy Plan
(a) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the advisory council shall develop a rural policy plan that includes: (1) strategic initiatives for...
- Texas Section 487.805 - Rural Health Task Force
The rural health task force shall: (1) assist the advisory council in its efforts to expand and improve access to health care in rural areas...
- Texas Section 487.806 - Reimbursement Of Expenses
A member of the advisory council may not receive compensation for service on the advisory council or rural health task force. Subject to availability of...