By: Sibley S.B. No. 1280
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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, Texas Education Code, is amended by
1-6 adding new Sections 58.006, 58.007, and 58.009 to read as follows:
1-7 Section 58.006. Statewide Preceptorship Programs
1-8 (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may
1-9 contract with one or more organizations to operate the Statewide
1-10 Preceptorship Program in General Internal Medicine and the
1-11 Statewide Preceptorship Program in General Pediatrics for medical
1-12 students enrolled in Texas medical schools.
1-13 (b) Eligible organizations to receive funds under this
1-14 subsection:
1-15 (1) must qualify for exemption from federal income tax
1-16 under Section 501, Internal Revenue Code, or
1-17 (2) must be operated by a state accredited medical
1-18 school in accordance with the definition stated in Section
1-19 61.501(1), Texas Education Code.
1-20 (c) Eligible students to participate in the preceptorship
1-21 programs under this subsection must indicate an interest in a
1-22 primary care career.
1-23 Section 58.007. Advisory Committee
2-1 (a) Nothing in this Act shall diminish or abolish the
2-2 activities of the Family Practice Texas Higher Education
2-3 Coordinating Board under Sections 61.501, 61.502, 61.503, 61.504,
2-4 and 61.506 of this code. It is not the intent of this section to
2-5 combine or assimilate these programs, but only to add to and
2-6 enhance the training of primary care physicians in Texas.
2-7 (b) The Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee is created
2-8 and shall consist of 12 members. One member shall be a licensed
2-9 physician appointed each by the Texas Medical Association, the
2-10 Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, the Texas Academy of Family
2-11 Physicians, the Texas Society of the American College of
2-12 Osteopathic Family Physicians, The Texas Society of Internal
2-13 Medicine, the Texas Pediatric Society, and the Texas Association of
2-14 Obstetricians and Gynecologists. One member shall be appointed
2-15 each by the Center for Rural Health Initiatives and the Bureau of
2-16 Community Oriented Primary Care at the Texas Department of Health.
2-17 One member of the public shall be appointed each by the governor,
2-18 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives.
2-19 No individual who has a direct financial interest in primary care
2-20 residency training programs shall be appointed to serve as a member
2-21 of this advisory committee.
2-22 (c) The terms of the office of each member shall be for
2-23 three years, except for the initial term, which shall be designated
2-24 in a manner approved by the board in such a way, insofar as is
2-25 possible, that one-third of the members shall serve for one year,
3-1 one-third for two years, and one-third for three years, and
3-2 thereafter each member shall serve for a term of three years. Each
3-3 member shall serve until his replacement has been appointed to the
3-4 committee.
3-5 (d) The members of the committee shall not be compensated
3-6 for their service, but shall be reimbursed by the board for actual
3-7 expenses incurred in the performance of duties as members of the
3-8 committee.
3-9 (e) The committee shall meet at least annually and so often
3-10 as requested by the board or called into meeting by the committee
3-11 chair.
3-12 (f) the committee chair shall be elected by the members of
3-13 the committee for a term of one year.
3-14 (g) The committee shall review for the board applications
3-15 for approval and funding of primary care residency training program
3-16 expansion as described in Section 58.008 and related support
3-17 programs, make recommendations to the board relating to the
3-18 standards and criteria for approval of residency training and
3-19 related support programs, and perform such other duties as may be
3-20 directed by the board.
3-21 Section 58.008. Primary Care Residency Program Expansion
3-22 (a) Only residency positions in family practice, general
3-23 internal medicine, general pediatrics, and obstetrics and
3-24 gynecology shall be eligible for these funds.
3-25 (b) The committee shall recommend to the board an allocation
4-1 of new primary care residency positions that are to receive state
4-2 support. The committee shall take into consideration in
4-3 recommending an allocation among the four primary care specialties
4-4 designated for expansion the following factors:
4-5 (1) the current primary care specialty mix of Texas
4-6 physicians in direct practice;
4-7 (2) projections for the primary care specialties mix
4-8 of Texas physicians in direct practice;
4-9 (3) the current state-supported primary care
4-10 positions;
4-11 (4) geographic shortages for primary care physicians;
4-12 and
4-13 (5) the demographics of the Texas population.
4-14 (c) Once funds are awarded to support a resident position of
4-15 a particular residency program, the board shall continue to award
4-16 funds to support that residency position for all three or four
4-17 postgraduate years of the residency training curriculum until the
4-18 resident physician appointed to that position has completed or left
4-19 the program. The position would then be eligible for reallocation
4-20 by the Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee.
4-21 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
4-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-1 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-2 passage, and it is so enacted.