S.B. No. 1107
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the powers and duties of the Travis County Healthcare
  District.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 803, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 803.204 to read as follows:
         Sec. 803.204.  COMBINED SERVICE CREDIT IN CERTAIN SYSTEMS.  
  (a)  This section applies only to an employee who:
               (1)  is a member of a municipal retirement system
  described by Section 803.0021(1);
               (2)  is employed by a hospital district, a charitable
  organization created by the hospital district, or an administrative
  agency created under Section 791.013, either before or after being
  employed by the employing municipality located in the same county
  as the hospital district, charitable organization, or
  administrative agency; and
               (3)  participates in a public retirement system:
                     (A)  that is determined to be a qualified plan
  under Section 401(a), Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.
  Section 401(a)), of a hospital district, charitable organization,
  or administrative agency that is determined to be a governmental
  unit, or an agency or an instrumentality of a governmental unit; and
                     (B)  that records and reports service credit as
  defined by Section 803.001.
         (b)  Any service credit earned by an employee described by
  Subsection (a) with a retirement system established by the hospital
  district, charitable organization, or administrative agency will
  be combined under Section 803.201 to determine whether the employee
  meets the length-of-service requirements for service retirement
  under the municipal retirement system.
         (c)  On retirement, an employee described by Subsection (a)
  will receive a benefit from the municipal retirement system as
  determined by Subchapter D, and if the hospital district or
  administrative agency has established or participates in a
  retirement program or the charitable organization has a retirement
  plan, will receive a benefit from the hospital district,
  administrative agency, or charitable organization as determined by
  the terms of the district's, agency's, or organization's retirement
  plan.
         SECTION 2.  Subdivision (2), Section 1431.001, Government
  Code, is amended to read as follows:
               (2)  "Eligible countywide district" means a flood
  control district or a hospital district the boundaries of which are
  substantially coterminous with the boundaries of a county with a
  population of three million or more or a hospital district created
  in a county with a population of more than 800,000 that was not
  included in the boundaries of a hospital district before September
  1, 2003.
         SECTION 3.  Section 61.056, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
         (c)  A hospital district created in a county with a
  population of more than 800,000 that was not included in the
  boundaries of a hospital district before September 1, 2003, may
  affiliate with any public or private entity to provide regional
  administration and delivery of health care services.  The regional
  affiliation, in accordance with the affiliation agreement, shall
  use money contributed by an affiliated governmental entity to
  provide health care services to an eligible resident of that
  governmental entity.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter B, Chapter 281, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 281.0281 to read as follows:
         Sec. 281.0281.  EMPLOYMENT OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
  (a)  This section applies only to a district created in a county
  with a population of more than 800,000 that was not included in the
  boundaries of a hospital district before September 1, 2003.
         (b)  The board, as it considers necessary for the efficient
  operation of the district, may employ:
               (1)  physicians as provided in this section and
  Sections 162.001(c-4) and (c-5), Occupations Code; and
               (2)  dentists or other health care providers.
         (c)  The board may employ a licensed physician as a medical
  director if the physician:
               (1)  provides only policy, administrative, and
  managerial services; and
               (2)  does not provide direct patient care or otherwise
  practice medicine, as defined by Section 151.002, Occupations Code,
  at or for the district.
         (d)  This section does not authorize the board to supervise
  or control the practice of medicine or permit the unauthorized
  practice of medicine, as prohibited by Subtitle B, Title 3,
  Occupations Code.
         SECTION 5.  Subchapter C, Chapter 281, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 281.0511 to read as follows:
         Sec. 281.0511.  CONTRACTING AUTHORITY OF CERTAIN DISTRICTS.  
  (a)  This section applies only to a district created in a county
  with a population of more than 800,000 that was not included in the
  boundaries of a hospital district before September 1, 2003.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Sections 281.050 and 281.051, the board
  may contract with any person, including a private or public entity
  or a political subdivision of this state, to provide or assist in
  the provision of services.
         SECTION 6.  Section 281.0565, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
         (d)  A district created in a county with a population of more
  than 800,000 that was not included in the boundaries of a hospital
  district before September 1, 2003, may make a capital or other
  financial contribution to a charitable organization created by the
  district to provide regional administration and delivery of health
  care services to or for the district.
         SECTION 7.  Subchapter G, Chapter 281, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 281.124 to read as follows:
         Sec. 281.124.  ELECTION TO APPROVE TAX RATE IN EXCESS OF
  ROLLBACK TAX RATE. (a)  This section applies only to a district
  created in a county with a population of more than 800,000 that was
  not included in the boundaries of a hospital district before
  September 1, 2003.
         (b)  The board may hold an election at which the registered
  voters of the district may approve a tax rate for the current tax
  year that exceeds the district's rollback tax rate for the year
  computed under Chapter 26, Tax Code, by a specific rate stated in
  dollars and cents per $100 of taxable value.
         (c)  An election under this section must be held at least 180
  days before the date on which the district's tax rate is adopted by
  the board. At the election, the ballot shall be prepared to permit
  voting for or against the proposition: "Approving the ad valorem
  tax rate of $ (insert total proposed tax rate) per $100 valuation in
  (insert district name) for the (insert current tax year) tax year, a
  rate that exceeds the district's rollback tax rate. The proposed ad
  valorem tax rate exceeds the ad valorem tax rate most recently
  adopted by the district by $ (insert difference between proposed
  and preceding year's tax rates) per $100 valuation."
         (d)  If a majority of the votes cast in the election favor the
  proposition, the tax rate for the specified tax year is the rate
  approved by the voters, and that rate is not subject to a rollback
  election under Section 26.07, Tax Code.  The board shall adopt the
  tax rate as provided by Chapter 26, Tax Code.
         (e)  If the proposition is not approved as provided by
  Subsection (c), the board may not adopt a tax rate for the district
  for the specified tax year that exceeds the rate that was not
  approved, and Section 26.07, Tax Code, applies to the adopted rate
  if that rate exceeds the rollback tax rate.
         (f)  Notwithstanding any other law, if a majority of the
  votes cast in the election favor the proposition, a governing body
  with approval authority over the district's budget or tax rate may
  not disapprove the tax rate approved by the voters or disapprove the
  budget based solely on the tax rate approved by the voters.
         SECTION 8.  Section 162.001, Occupations Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (c-4) and (c-5) to read as follows:
         (c-4)  The board shall certify a health organization to
  contract with or employ physicians licensed by the board if the
  organization:
               (1)  is a hospital district:
                     (A)  recognized by a federal agency as a public
  entity eligible to receive a grant related to a community or
  federally qualified health center described by Subdivision (2); and
                     (B)  created in a county with a population of more
  than 800,000 that was not included in the boundaries of a hospital
  district before September 1, 2003; and
               (2)  is organized and operated as:
                     (A)  a migrant, community, or homeless health
  center under the authority of and in compliance with 42 U.S.C.
  Section 254b or 254c; or
                     (B)  a federally qualified health center under 42
  U.S.C. Section 1396d(l)(2)(B).
         (c-5)  This section applies to a hospital district described
  by Subsection (c-4) only in relation to the hospital district's
  operations as a community or federally qualified health center
  described by Subsection (c-4)(2).
         SECTION 9.  Section 281.123, Health and Safety Code, is
  repealed.
         SECTION 10.  Section 803.204, Government Code, as added by
  this Act, applies only to a person who retires on or after the
  effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 11.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
 
 
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1107 passed the Senate on
  April 12, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
  the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 9, 2007, by the
  following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1107 passed the House, with
  amendment, on May 2, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 142,
  Nays 0, two present not voting.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
 
  Approved:
 
  ______________________________ 
              Date
 
 
  ______________________________ 
            Governor