| (B) After approval by the committee, the minutes shall
be signed by the presiding officer.
(m) Subcommittees. The committee may establish subcommittees
as necessary to assist the committee in carrying out its duties.
(1) The presiding officer shall appoint members of
the committee to serve on subcommittees and to act as subcommittee
chairpersons. The presiding officer also may appoint nonmembers of
the committee to serve on subcommittees, subject to the approval of
the commissioner.
(2) Subcommittees shall meet when called by the subcommittee
chairperson or when so directed by the committee.
(3) A subcommittee chairperson shall make regular reports
to the committee at each committee meeting or in interim written reports
as needed. The reports shall include an executive summary or minutes
of each subcommittee meeting.
(n) Statement by members.
(1) The Health and Human Services Commission (commission),
the State Health Services Council (council), the department, and the
committee shall not be bound in any way by any statement or action
on the part of any committee member or subcommittee member except
when a statement or action is in pursuit of specific instructions
from the commission, council, department, or committee.
(2) The committee and its members or subcommittee members
may not participate in legislative activity in the name of the commission,
the council, the department, or the committee except with approval
through the department's legislative process. Committee members are
not prohibited from representing themselves or other entities in the
legislative process.
(3) A committee member or subcommittee member should
not accept or solicit any benefit that might reasonably tend to influence
the member in the discharge of the member's official duties.
(4) A committee member or subcommittee member should
not disclose confidential information acquired through his or her
committee membership.
(5) A committee member or subcommittee member should
not knowingly solicit, accept, or agree to accept any benefit for
having exercised the member's official powers or duties in favor of
another person.
(6) A committee member or subcommittee member who
has a personal or private interest in a matter pending before the
committee shall publicly disclose the fact in a committee meeting
and may not vote or otherwise participate in the matter. The phrase
"personal or private interest" means the committee member has a direct
pecuniary interest in the matter, but does not include the committee
member's engagement in a profession, trade, or occupation when the
member's interest is the same as all others similarly engaged in the
profession, trade, or occupation.
(o) Reports to department. The committee shall file
an annual written report with the department.
(1) The report shall list the meeting dates of the
committee and any subcommittees, the attendance records of its members,
a brief description of actions taken by the committee, a description
of how the committee has accomplished the tasks given to the committee
by the council, the status of any rules which were recommended by
the committee to the council, and anticipated activities of the committee
for the next year.
(2) The report shall identify all costs related to
the committee's existence, including the cost of agency staff time
spent in support of the committee's activities and the source of funds
used to support the committee's activities.
(3) The report shall cover the meetings and activities
in the immediately preceding fiscal year and shall be filed with the
council each January. The report shall be signed by the presiding
officer.
(p) In accordance with the Health and Safety Code, §117.1033,
beginning in 2012, not later than November 30 of each year the committee
shall file a report on the implementation of the Health and Safety
Code, Chapter 117 with the governor, the lieutenant governor, and
the speaker of the house of representatives.
(q) Reimbursement for expenses. In accordance with
the Health and Safety Code, §117.054, a committee member is not
entitled to compensation for service on the committee and is not entitled
to reimbursement for any travel expenses.
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