S.B. No. 1280
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the creation of statewide preceptorship programs in
1-2 general internal medicine and general pediatrics and the expansion
1-3 of primary care residency positions.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 58, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-6 Sections 58.006, 58.007, and 58.008 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 58.006. STATEWIDE PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAMS. (a) The
1-8 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may contract with one or
1-9 more organizations to operate the statewide preceptorship program
1-10 in general internal medicine and the statewide preceptorship
1-11 program in general pediatrics for medical students enrolled in
1-12 Texas medical schools.
1-13 (b) An organization eligible to receive funds under this
1-14 subsection must:
1-15 (1) qualify for exemption from federal income tax
1-16 under Section 501, Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. Section
1-17 501); or
1-18 (2) be operated by a state accredited medical school
1-19 as defined in Section 61.501(1).
1-20 (c) Students eligible to participate in the preceptorship
1-21 programs under this section must indicate an interest in a primary
1-22 care career.
1-23 Sec. 58.007. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) Nothing in this
2-1 section or Section 58.006 or 58.008 shall diminish or abolish the
2-2 activities of the Family Practice Residency Advisory Committee
2-3 established under Section 61.505. It is not the intent of this
2-4 section to combine or assimilate advisory programs but only to add
2-5 to and enhance the training of primary care physicians in Texas.
2-6 (b)(1) The Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee is
2-7 created and shall consist of 12 members as follows:
2-8 (A) seven members shall be licensed physicians,
2-9 one appointed by each of the following:
2-10 (i) the Texas Medical Association;
2-11 (ii) the Texas Osteopathic Medical
2-12 Association;
2-13 (iii) the Texas Academy of Family
2-14 Physicians;
2-15 (iv) the Texas Society of the American
2-16 College of Osteopathic Family Physicians;
2-17 (v) the Texas Society of Internal
2-18 Medicine;
2-19 (vi) the Texas Pediatric Society; and
2-20 (vii) the Texas Association of
2-21 Obstetricians and Gynecologists;
2-22 (B) one member shall be appointed by the Center
2-23 for Rural Health Initiatives;
2-24 (C) one member shall be appointed by the Bureau
2-25 of Community Oriented Primary Care at the Texas Department of
3-1 Health; and
3-2 (D) three members shall be members of the
3-3 public, one appointed by each of the following:
3-4 (i) the governor;
3-5 (ii) the lieutenant governor; and
3-6 (iii) the speaker of the house of
3-7 representatives.
3-8 (2) No individual who has a direct financial interest
3-9 in primary care residency training programs shall be appointed to
3-10 serve as a member of the advisory committee.
3-11 (c) The terms of the office of each member shall be for
3-12 three years, except for the initial term, which shall be designated
3-13 in a manner approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
3-14 Board in such a way that one-third of the members shall serve for
3-15 one year, one-third for two years, and one-third for three years,
3-16 and thereafter each member shall serve for a term of three years.
3-17 Each member shall serve until the member's replacement has been
3-18 appointed to the committee.
3-19 (d) The members of the committee shall not be compensated
3-20 for their service.
3-21 (e) The committee shall meet at least annually and so often
3-22 as requested by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or
3-23 called into meeting by the committee chair.
3-24 (f) The committee chair shall be elected by the members of
3-25 the committee for a term of one year.
4-1 (g) The committee shall review for the Texas Higher
4-2 Education Coordinating Board applications for approval and funding
4-3 of primary care residency training program expansion as described
4-4 in Section 58.008 and related support programs, make
4-5 recommendations to the board relating to the standards and criteria
4-6 for approval of residency training and related support programs,
4-7 and perform such other duties as may be directed by the board.
4-8 Sec. 58.008. PRIMARY CARE RESIDENCY PROGRAM EXPANSION.
4-9 (a) Only residency positions in family practice, general internal
4-10 medicine, general pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology shall
4-11 be eligible for these funds.
4-12 (b) The committee shall recommend to the Texas Higher
4-13 Education Coordinating Board an allocation of new primary care
4-14 residency positions that are to receive state support. The
4-15 committee shall take into consideration in recommending an
4-16 allocation among the four primary care specialties designated for
4-17 expansion the following factors:
4-18 (1) the current primary care specialties mix of Texas
4-19 physicians in direct practice;
4-20 (2) projections for the primary care specialties mix
4-21 of Texas physicians in direct practice;
4-22 (3) the current state-supported primary care
4-23 positions;
4-24 (4) geographic shortages for primary care physicians;
4-25 (5) federally designated and state designated
5-1 medically underserved areas;
5-2 (6) the demographics of the Texas population; and
5-3 (7) the infrastructure of existing residency programs.
5-4 (c) Once funds are awarded to support a resident position of
5-5 a particular residency program, the board shall continue to award
5-6 funds to support that residency position for all three or four
5-7 postgraduate years of the residency training curriculum until the
5-8 resident physician appointed to that position has completed or left
5-9 the program. The position would then be eligible for reallocation
5-10 by the Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee.
5-11 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
5-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-16 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-17 passage, and it is so enacted.