By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1241 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the creation of the Faculty Enhancement Fund for 1-2 Generalist Physicians. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 58.007, Education Code, is amended by 1-5 adding Subsection (h) to read as follows: 1-6 (h) The committee shall review for the Texas Higher 1-7 Education Coordinating Board applications for approval and funding 1-8 of faculty enhancement for generalist physicians at Texas medical 1-9 schools as described in Section 58.009, make recommendations to the 1-10 board relating to the standards and criteria for approval of 1-11 faculty enhancement awards, monitor compliance with the contractual 1-12 conditions associated with faculty enhancement awards, and evaluate 1-13 the success of the faculty enhancement program in reaching the goal 1-14 of increasing the number of generalist physician faculty at Texas 1-15 medical schools. 1-16 SECTION 2. Chapter 58, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-17 Section 58.009 to read as follows: 1-18 Sec. 58.009. FACULTY ENHANCEMENT FUND FOR GENERALIST 1-19 PHYSICIANS. (a) Only accredited medical schools identified in 1-20 Section 61.501(1) shall be eligible to receive funds under this 1-21 section. 1-22 (b) Only full-time, clinical faculty positions in family 1-23 practice, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics whose 2-1 faculty rank is no greater than assistant professor shall be 2-2 eligible for funds under this section. 2-3 (c) The committee shall recommend to the Texas Higher 2-4 Education Coordinating Board an allocation of generalist faculty 2-5 positions that are to receive state support through the Faculty 2-6 Enhancement Fund for Generalist Physicians. The committee shall 2-7 take into consideration in recommending an allocation the following 2-8 factors: 2-9 (1) the faculty-student ratio in the generalist 2-10 specialty at the applicant school; 2-11 (2) the length of time a budgeted generalist faculty 2-12 position has gone unfilled; 2-13 (3) whether the position is a new generalist faculty 2-14 position; and 2-15 (4) other factors as determined by the committee. 2-16 (d) Once funds are awarded to support a generalist faculty 2-17 position at a particular medical school, the board shall continue 2-18 to award funds to support that generalist faculty position for a 2-19 period not to exceed one additional academic year. After that 2-20 time, the medical school shall provide an amount equal to the 2-21 annualized faculty enhancement award in its operating budget to 2-22 maintain the level of compensation for the position after the grant 2-23 period has ended. 2-24 (e) The board may spend not more than 10 percent of the 2-25 amounts appropriated for this program in fiscal year 1998, and not 3-1 more than five percent of the amounts appropriated for this program 3-2 in succeeding years, for administering the faculty enhancement 3-3 program for generalist physicians. 3-4 (f) The board may solicit, receive, and spend grants, gifts, 3-5 and donations from public and private sources to comply with this 3-6 section. 3-7 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-12 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-13 passage, and it is so enacted.