By Madla                                               S.B. No. 658
       74R5575 JMM-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the funding and operation of the program to aid certain
    1-3  impaired pharmacists and pharmacy students.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 27A(g), Texas Pharmacy Act (Article
    1-6  4542a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as
    1-7  follows:
    1-8        (g)  The board may add a surcharge of not more than $10 <$5>
    1-9  to a license or license renewal fee authorized under this Act to
   1-10  fund the program to aid impaired pharmacists or pharmacy students.
   1-11        SECTION 2.  Section 27A(j), Texas Pharmacy Act (Article
   1-12  4542a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as added by Section 21,
   1-13  Chapter 351, and Section 9, Chapter 789, Acts of the 73rd
   1-14  Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, is amended to read as follows:
   1-15        (j)  The board may disclose that the license of a pharmacist
   1-16  who is the subject of an order of the board that is <deemed>
   1-17  confidential by <under> Subsection (d) of this section is
   1-18  suspended, revoked, canceled, restricted, or retired or that the
   1-19  pharmacist is in any manner otherwise limited in the practice of
   1-20  pharmacy<.  The>; however, the board may not disclose the nature of
   1-21  the impairment or other information that resulted in the board's
   1-22  <such> action.
   1-23        SECTION 3.   This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
   1-24  applies only to a license issued or renewed by the Texas State
    2-1  Board of Pharmacy on or after that date.  A license issued or
    2-2  renewed before that date is governed by the law in effect on the
    2-3  date the license was issued or renewed, and the former law is
    2-4  continued in effect for that purpose.
    2-5        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-6  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-7  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-8  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-9  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.