SRC-HRD C.S.S.B. 1241 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 1241 By: Zaffirini Finance 4-24-97 Committee Report (Substituted) DIGEST The state's capacity for training more primary care doctors may be dependant on the availability of quality primary care faculty at medical schools in the state. There are concerns that compensation levels for primary care faculty positions in Texas medical schools are too low to compete successfully with financial opportunities offered by the private sector and other medical schools. With the intent of attracting quality faculty, S.B. 1241 would create the Faculty Enhancement Fund for Generalist Physicians through the Higher Education Coordinating Board to provide enhanced funding for primary care physician faculty positions at medical schools in the state. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 1241 creates the Faculty Enhancement Fund for Generalist Physicians to provide faculty enhancement awards for generalist faculty positions at Texas medical schools. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 58, Education Code, by adding Section 58.007(h), to require the Primary Care Residency Advisory Committee (committee) to review for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (coordinating board) applications for approval and funding of faculty enhancement for generalist physicians at Texas medical schools as described in Section 58.009, make recommendations to the coordinating board relating to the standards and criteria for approval of faculty enhancement awards, monitor compliance with the contractual conditions associated with faculty enhancement awards, and evaluate the success of the faculty enhancement program in reaching the goal of increasing the number of generalist physician faculty at Texas medical schools. SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 58, Education Code, by adding Section 58.009, as follows: Sec. 58.009. FACULTY ENHANCEMENT FUND FOR GENERALIST PHYSICIANS. Requires only accredited medical schools as defined in Section 61.501(1) to be eligible to receive funds under this section. Sets forth requirements for eligibility regarding positions. Requires the committee to recommend to the coordinating board an allocation of generalist faculty positions that are to receive state support through this fund. Requires the committee to take certain factors into consideration in recommending an allocation. Requires the board, once funds are awarded to support a generalist faculty position at a particular medical school, to continue to award funds to support that generalist faculty position for a period not to exceed one additional academic year. Requires the medical school, after that time, to provide an amount equal to the annualized faculty enhancement award in its operating budget to maintain the level of compensation for the position after the grant period has ended. Prohibits the coordinating board from spending more than 10 percent of the amounts appropriated for this program in fiscal year 1998, and not more than 5 percent of the amounts appropriated for this program in succeeding years for administering the Faculty Enhancement Program for Generalist Physicians. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES SECTION 1. Removes proposed SECTION 1. Redesignates proposed SECTION 2 as SECTION 1. A technical change was made to correct the citation from Section 59.007(h) to the correct 58.007(h), Education Code. SECTION 2. Redesignated from proposed SECTION 3. Amends proposed Section 58.009, Education Code, to remove a reference to tenure track. Prohibits the coordinating board from spending more than 10 percent of the amounts appropriated for this program in fiscal year 1998, and not more than 5 percent of the amounts appropriated for this program in the succeeding years for certain purposes.