1-1  By:  Delisi, Greenberg (Senate Sponsor-Barrientos)    H.B. No. 3116
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1995;
    1-3  April 26, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Finance; May 4, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 4, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to an exemption from annual registration fees for retired
    1-9  physicians performing voluntary charity care.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Section 3.01(g), Medical Practice Act (Article
   1-12  4495b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as
   1-13  follows:
   1-14        (g)  The annual registration fee shall apply to all persons
   1-15  licensed by the board, whether or not they are practicing within
   1-16  the borders of this state, except retired physicians as provided by
   1-17  rules of the board.  A retired physician licensed by the board
   1-18  whose only practice is voluntary charity care is exempt from the
   1-19  annual registration fee.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  This Act applies only to registration fees due on
   1-21  or after the effective date of this Act.  Registration fees due
   1-22  before the effective date of this Act are due and payable as
   1-23  provided by the prior law, and the prior law is continued in effect
   1-24  for that purpose.
   1-25        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-26  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-27  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-28  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-29  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-30  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   1-31  passage, and it is so enacted.
   1-32                               * * * * *