HBA-MPA H.B. 573 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 573 By: Pitts Public Health 3/1/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, medical professionals are not allowed to count hours spent volunteering their care services in free clinics toward their informal continuing education requirement. This requirement must be met to renew a license. C.S.H.B. 573 changes state law to permit a medical license holder to complete up to half of the informal continuing medical education credit by providing volunteer medical services at a site serving a medically underserved population that is not the primary practice site of the license holder. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners in SECTION 1 (Section 3.026, Article 4495b, V.T.C.S. (Medical Practice Act)), and 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)), of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Article 4495b, V.T.C.S. (Medical Practice Act), by adding Section 3.026, as follows: Sec. 3.026. CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEER MEDICAL SERVICES. Defines "a site serving a medically underserved population." Requires the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, by rule, to permit a license holder to complete up to half of the continuing medical education hours by providing volunteer medical services at a site serving a medically underserved population that is not the primary practice site of the license holder. SECTION 2. Amends Article 4495b-1, V.T.C.S. (Physician Assistant Licensing Act), by adding Section 10A, as follows: Sec. 10A. CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEER 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 complete up to half of the continuing medical education hours by providing volunteer medical services at a site serving a medically underserved population that is not the primary practice site of the license holder. SECTION 3. (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 4. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE SECTION 1. In Section 3.026, Article 4495b, V.T.C.S., concerning rules to be adopted by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, substitutes "complete" for "earn" and adds "half of any informal" before "continuing medical education hours." Substitutes "volunteer" for "free" and adds "other than a site that is a primary practice site of the license holder." SECTION 2. Makes a conforming change in Section 10A, Article 4495b-1, V.T.C.S., concerning to rulestobe adopted by the Texas State Board of Physician Assistant Examiners. Deletes a section concerning the Board of Nurse Examiners in the introduced version.