Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 558 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize the Texas Department of Health to request an immigration visa waiver for a qualified alien physician who agrees to practice in a federally designated medically underserved or health professional shortage area in Texas that has a current shortage of physicians and to charge a fee to cover the costs of administering such a visa waiver program. The bill amends the Occupations Code to delete certain requirements so that an applicant licensed to practice medicine in another state or country may receive an expedited license to practice medicine in Texas. Previously, expediting a license application required an applicant's stated intention to accept employment with an entity affiliated with or participating in a public university-sponsored graduate medical education program, serve on the faculty of the program, and help the program obtain or maintain professional accreditation. The bill requires only that the applicant request and be eligible for an immigration visa waiver and intend to practice medicine in a rural community or federally designated medically underserved or health professional shortage area that has a current shortage of physicians. The bill also repeals an Education Code provision that provided for similar immigration visa waivers for faculty physicians but that limited the number of waivers to not more than 20 per year and limited the area where the physicians could practice to certain counties in South Texas.