Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 768 amends provisions of the Occupations Code and the Health and Safety Code relating to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy and the dispensing of drugs to comply with certain federal requirements. The bill increases the continuing education requirements for pharmacists from 24 to 30 hours and strengthens prohibitions related to dispensing controlled substances. The bill extends to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy the authority to impose penalties on pharmacists for certain actions and requires the board to adopt certain rules to provide a dispensing directive to instruct pharmacists on the manner in which to dispense a drug according to the contents of the prescription. The bill also authorizes a Class A or Class C pharmacy to maintain controlled substances and dangerous drugs in an emergency medication kit for use in nursing homes and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded.

            The bill takes effect September 1, 2001, except for the conforming changes made by repealing certain provisions of the Occupations Code, which take effect June 1, 2002.