By Van de Putte                                       H.B. No. 1507
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the authority of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to
    1-3  authorize certain pilot or demonstration projects.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 17, Texas Pharmacy Act (Article 4542a-1,
    1-6  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by adding Subsection (v)
    1-7  to read as follows:
    1-8        (v)  The board may approve pilot and demonstration research
    1-9  projects for innovative applications in the practice of pharmacy.
   1-10  The board shall specify the procedures to be followed in applying
   1-11  for approval of such a project.  The approval may include the
   1-12  granting of an exception to rules adopted under this Act.  The
   1-13  board may condition approval of a project on compliance with this
   1-14  subsection and rules adopted under this subsection.  This
   1-15  subsection shall not be construed to expand the definition of
   1-16  pharmacy as provided in this Act.  Demonstration projects shall not
   1-17  include therapeutic substitution or substitution of medical devices
   1-18  used in patient care.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-20  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-21  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-22  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-23  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-24  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-1  passage, and it is so enacted.