HBA-MPA H.B. 573 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 573
By: Pitts
Public Health
2/11/1999
Introduced

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, medical professionals are not allowed to count hours spent
volunteering their care services in free clinics toward their continuing
education requirement.  This requirement must be met to renew a license.
H.B. 573 changes state law to permit a medical license holder to earn
continuing medical education credit by providing free medical services at a
site serving a medically underserved population. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated  
to the Texas Board of Medical Examiners in SECTION 1, (Section 3.026,
Article 4495b, V.T.C.S.(Medical Practice Act)), to the Texas State Board of
Physician Assistant Examiners in SECTION 2 , (Section 10A, Article 4495b-1,
V.T.C.S.(Physician Assistant Licensing Act)), and to the Board of Nurse
Examiners in SECTION 3, (Section 7A, Article 4518, V.T.C.S.), of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter C (Medical Practice Act), Article 4495b,
V.T.C.S., by adding Section 3.026, as follows: 

Sec. 3.026.  CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR CERTAIN FREE MEDICAL SERVICES.
Defines "a site serving a medically underserved population."  Requires the
Texas Board of Medical Examiners, by rule, to permit a license holder to
earn continuing medical education hours by providing free medical services
at a site serving a medically underserved population. 

SECTION 2.  Amends the  Article 4495b-1, V.T.C.S. (Physician Assistant
Licensing Act), by adding Section 10A, as follows: 

Sec. 10A.  CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR CERTAIN FREE MEDICAL SERVICES.
Defines "a site serving a medically underserved population."  Requires the
Texas State Board of Physician Assistant Examiners, by rule, to permit a
license holder  to earn continuing medical education hours by providing
free medical services at a site serving a medically underserved population. 

SECTION 3.  Amends Article 4518, V.T.C.S. by adding Section 7A, as follows:

Sec. 7A.  CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR CERTAIN FREE NURSING SERVICES.
Defines "a site serving a medically underserved population."  Requires the
Board of  Nurse Examiners, by rule, to permit a license holder to earn
continuing medical education hours by providing free medical services at a
site serving a medically underserved population. 

SECTION 4.  (a) Effective date: September 1, 1999.
           
(b) Requires an entity required to adopt rules under this Act to adopt the
rules not later than January 1, 2000. 

SECTION 5.  Emergency clause.