Bill Text: TX SB1463 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to improving the delivery of health care services to veterans in this state.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-16 - Effective immediately [SB1463 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB1463-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 1463 | ||
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| relating to improving the delivery of health care services to | ||
| veterans in this state. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 401, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 401.103 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 401.103. VETERANS HEALTH ISSUES. (a) The governor or | ||
| the governor's designee may negotiate with the United States | ||
| Department of Veterans Affairs and any other appropriate federal | ||
| agency on matters relating to improving the delivery of health care | ||
| services to veterans in this state, including: | ||
| (1) establishing a veterans hospital in the Rio Grande | ||
| Valley region of the state; and | ||
| (2) ensuring the prompt payment of claims submitted by | ||
| community health care providers to the United States Department of | ||
| Veterans Affairs for health care services provided to veterans by | ||
| those providers. | ||
| (b) The governor, in consultation with the board of regents | ||
| of The University of Texas System, may identify shared resources | ||
| and collaborative opportunities that may be used by the School of | ||
| Medicine at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the United | ||
| States Department of Veterans Affairs to provide quality health | ||
| care services to residents of the Rio Grande Valley. | ||
| (c) The governor may request the assistance of the | ||
| Department of State Health Services, the Health and Human Services | ||
| Commission, the Texas Veterans Commission, or any other state | ||
| agency, department, or office in performing an action under this | ||
| section. The agency, department, or office shall provide the | ||
| requested assistance. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 434.019(a), Government Code, is amended | ||
| to read as follows: | ||
| (a) The Texas Veterans Commission and the Department of | ||
| State Health Services, in collaboration with the office of the | ||
| governor, shall work with the United States Department of Veterans | ||
| Affairs and any other appropriate federal agency to propose that | ||
| the federal government establish a veterans hospital in the Rio | ||
| Grande Valley region of the state. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1463 passed the Senate on | ||
| May 15, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1463 passed the House on | ||
| May 22, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 1, two | ||
| present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
