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.