By Delisi, Greenberg                                  H.B. No. 3116
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to an exemption from annual registration fees for retired
    1-3  physicians performing voluntary charity care.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 3.01(g), Medical Practice Act (Article
    1-6  4495b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended to read as
    1-7  follows:
    1-8        (g)  The annual registration fee shall apply to all persons
    1-9  licensed by the board, whether or not they are practicing within
   1-10  the borders of this state, except retired physicians as provided by
   1-11  rules of the board.  A retired physician licensed by the board
   1-12  whose only practice is voluntary charity care is exempt from the
   1-13  annual registration fee.
   1-14        SECTION 2.  This Act takes applies only to registration fees
   1-15  due on or after the effective date of this Act.  Registration fees
   1-16  due before the effective date of this Act are due and payable as
   1-17  provided by the prior law, and the prior law is continued in effect
   1-18  for that purpose.
   1-19        SECTION 3.  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,
    2-1  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-2  passage, and it is so enacted.