HBA-MPA H.B. 2962 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2962
By: Jones, Delwin
County Affairs
4/18/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

When the Lubbock County Hospital District was created in 1965 the
commissioners court was given authority to appoint the board of managers.
This has led to  a tendency for the county commissioners to take a direct
interest in the administration of the hospital district.  H.B. 2962 creates
an elective board to serve the people of the hospital district. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 8, Chapter 484, Acts of the 60th Legislature,
Regular Session, 1967, to provide that the Lubbock County Hospital District
(district) is governed by a board of seven directors (board) to be elected
at large from the entire district.  Provides that to qualify to serve on
the board a person must be at least 21 years old and a qualified voter in
the district.  Requires elections to be held in accordance with Chapter 41
(Election Dates and Hours for Voting), Election Code.  Requires the term of
a director to be two years, and three directors to be elected in
oddnumbered years and four to be elected in even-numbered years.  Requires
that the managers serve without pay and manage, control, and administer the
hospital or hospital system, including medical facilities or other health
facilities, of the hospital district.  Deletes a provision requiring the
commissioners court to appoint a five to seven member board with
appropriately overlapping terms. Makes nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 2.  (a) Effective date: September 1, 1999.

(b) Requires an election for the board of managers of the district to be
held May 6, 2000, and seven hospital managers to be elected.  Requires the
four managers who receive the highest number of total votes cast to serve
two-year terms and the three who receive the fifth-, sixth-, and
seventh-highest number of total votes to serve one-year terms.   

(c) Continues the terms of the board serving immediately before the
effective date of this Act (serving board) until the majority of the board
elected on May 6, 2000 (elected board) takes office and makes application
of this Act prospective for that purpose.  Provides that the terms of the
serving board expires when the elected board takes office. 

(d) Provides that the service on the board before May 6, 2000 does not
disqualify a person from running for the board on that or subsequent
election dates. 

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.