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.