By Zaffirini S.B. No. 1241 75R8994 T A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the creation of the Faculty Enhancement Fund for 1-3 Generalist Physicians. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. PURPOSE. The state's capacity for training more 1-6 medical students for primary care careers is dependent on the 1-7 availability of an adequate number of primary care faculty. 1-8 Compensation levels for primary care faculty positions in Texas 1-9 medical schools are too low to compete successfully with financial 1-10 opportunities offered by the private sector and by other medical 1-11 schools. The average length of time required to fill a vacant 1-12 generalist faculty position currently exceeds 12 months. Additional 1-13 support for recruiting new generalist faculty would allow Texas 1-14 medical schools to be competitive with the private sector and with 1-15 the nation's other medical schools in recruiting family physicians, 1-16 general internists, and general pediatricians for clinical faculty. 1-17 SECTION 2. Chapter 58, Education, is amended by adding 1-18 Section 59.007(h) to read as follows: 1-19 (h) The committee shall review for the Texas Higher 1-20 Education Coordinating Board applications for approval and funding 1-21 of faculty enhancement for generalist physicians at Texas medical 1-22 schools as described in Section 58.009, make recommendations to the 1-23 board relating to the standards and criteria for approval of 1-24 faculty enhancement awards, monitor compliance with the contractual 2-1 conditions associated with faculty enhancement awards, and evaluate 2-2 the success of the faculty enhancement program in reaching the goal 2-3 of increasing the number of generalist physician faculty at Texas 2-4 medical schools. 2-5 SECTION 3. Chapter 58, Education, is amended by adding 2-6 Section 58.009 to read as follows: 2-7 Sec. 58.009. FACULTY ENHANCEMENT FUND FOR GENERALIST 2-8 PHYSICIANS. (a) Only accredited medical schools as defined in 2-9 Section 61.501(1) shall be eligible to receive funds under this 2-10 Section. 2-11 (b) Only full-time, tenure track, clinical faculty positions 2-12 in family practice, general internal medicine, and general 2-13 pediatrics, whose faculty rank is no greater than assistant 2-14 professor, shall be eligible for these funds. 2-15 (c) The committee shall recommend to the Texas Higher 2-16 Education Coordinating Board an allocation of generalist faculty 2-17 positions that are to receive state support through this fund. The 2-18 committee shall take into consideration in recommending an 2-19 allocation the following factors: 2-20 (1) The faculty-student ratio in the generalist 2-21 specialty at the applicant school; 2-22 (2) The length of time a budgeted generalist faculty 2-23 position has gone unfilled; 2-24 (3) Whether this is a new generalist faculty position; 2-25 and 2-26 (4) Other factors as determined by the committee. 2-27 (d) Once funds are awarded to support a generalist faculty 3-1 position at a particular medical school, the board shall continue 3-2 to award funds to support that generalist faculty position for a 3-3 period not to exceed one additional academic year. After that 3-4 time, the medical school shall provide an amount equal to the 3-5 annualized faculty enhancement award in its operating budget to 3-6 maintain the level of compensation for the position after the grant 3-7 period has ended. 3-8 (e) The board may spend not more than 10 percent of the 3-9 amounts appropriated for this program for administering the Faculty 3-10 Enhancement Program for Generalist Physicians. 3-11 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 3-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three consecutive 3-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-16 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-17 passage, and it is so enacted.