By Delisi H.B. No. 2392
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the creation of statewide preceptorship programs in
1-3 general internal medicine and general pediatrics and the expansion
1-4 of primary care residency position.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 58, Texas Education Code, is amended by
1-7 adding new Sections 58.006, 58.007, and 58.009 to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 58.006. STATEWIDE PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAMS. (a) The
1-9 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may contract with one or
1-10 more organizations to operate the Statewide Preceptorship Program
1-11 in General Internal Medicine and the Statewide Preceptorship
1-12 Program in General Pediatrics for medical students enrolled in
1-13 Texas medical schools.
1-14 (b) Eligible organizations to receive funds under this
1-15 subsection:
1-16 (1) must qualify for exemption from federal income tax
1-17 under Section 501, Internal Revenue Code, or
1-18 (2) must be operated by a state accredited medical
1-19 school in accordance with the definition stated in Section
1-20 61.501(1), Texas Education Code.
1-21 (c) Eligible students to participate in the preceptorships
1-22 programs under this subsection must indicate an interest in a
1-23 primary care career.
2-1 Sec. 58.007. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) Nothing in this Act
2-2 shall diminish or abolish the activities of the Family Practice
2-3 Residency Training Program or the Family Practice Residency
2-4 Advisory Committee of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
2-5 under Sections 61.501, 61.502, 61.503, 61.504, and 61.506 of this
2-6 code. It is not the intent to combine or assimilate these
2-7 programs, but only to add to and enhance the training of primary
2-8 care physicians in Texas.
2-9 (b) The Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee is created
2-10 and shall consist of 12 members. One member shall be a licensed
2-11 physician appointed each by the Texas Medical Association, the
2-12 Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, the Texas Academy of Family
2-13 Physicians, the Texas Society of the American College of
2-14 Osteopathic Family Physicians, The Texas Society of Internal
2-15 Medicine, the Texas Pediatric Society, and the Texas Association of
2-16 Obstetricians and Gynecologists. One member shall be appointed
2-17 each by the Center for Rural Health Initiatives and the Bureau of
2-18 Community Oriented Primary Care at the Texas Department of Health.
2-19 One member of the public shall be appointed each by the governor,
2-20 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives.
2-21 No individual who has a direct financial interest in primary care
2-22 residency training programs shall be appointed to serve as a member
2-23 of this advisory committee.
2-24 (c) The terms of the office of each member shall be for
2-25 three years, except for the initial term, which shall be designated
3-1 in a manner approved by the board in such a way, insofar as is
3-2 possible, that one-third of the members shall serve for one year,
3-3 one-third for two years, and one-third for three years, and
3-4 thereafter each member shall serve for a term of three years. Each
3-5 member shall serve until his replacement has been appointed to the
3-6 committee.
3-7 (d) The members of the committee shall not be compensated
3-8 for their service, but shall be reimbursed by the board for actual
3-9 expenses incurred in the performance of duties as members of the
3-10 committee.
3-11 (e) The committee shall meet at least annually and so often
3-12 as requested by the board or called into meeting by the committee
3-13 chair.
3-14 (f) The committee chair shall be elected by the members of
3-15 the committee for one year.
3-16 (g) The committee shall review for the board applications
3-17 for approval and funding of primary care residency training program
3-18 expansion as described in Section 58.008 and related support
3-19 programs, make recommendations to the board relating to the
3-20 standards and criteria for approval of residency training and
3-21 related support programs, and perform such other duties as may be
3-22 directed by the board.
3-23 Sec. 58.008. PRIMARY CARE RESIDENCY PROGRAM EXPANSION. (a)
3-24 Only residency positions in family practice, general internal
3-25 medicine, general pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology shall
4-1 be eligible for these funds.
4-2 (b) The committee shall recommend to the board an allocation
4-3 of new primary care residency positions that are to receive state
4-4 support. The committee shall take into consideration in
4-5 recommending an allocation among the four primary care specialties
4-6 designated for expansion the following factors:
4-7 (1) the current primary care specialty mix of Texas
4-8 physicians in direct practice;
4-9 (2) projections for the primary care specialties mix
4-10 of Texas physicians in direct practice;
4-11 (3) the current state-supported primary care
4-12 positions;
4-13 (4) geographic shortages for primary care physicians;
4-14 and
4-15 (5) the demographics of the Texas population.
4-16 (c) Once funds are awarded to support a resident position of
4-17 a particular residency program, the board shall continue to award
4-18 funds to support that residency position for all three or four
4-19 postgraduate years of the residency training curriculum until the
4-20 resident physician appointed to that position has completed or left
4-21 the program. The position would then be eligible for reallocation
4-22 by the Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee.
4-23 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
4-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-25 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-3 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-4 passage, and it is so enacted.