HBA-GUM H.B. 3038 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3038
By: Smithee
Public Health
4/14/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a dental practice may not be organized as a professional
association.  Pursuant to Article 1528f (Professional Association Act), a
professional association is formed for a specific period of time by one or
more licensed practitioners who perform a professional service that falls
within their scope of practice.  When medical practitioners form an
association, no practitioner may exercise control over the
patient-treatment decisions of another practitioner.  H.B. 3038 allows
persons of the dentistry profession to form a professional association
under the Professional Association Act. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 2(A), Article 1528f (Professional Association
Act), V.T.C.S., to specify that persons practicing dentristry are
authorized to form a professional association under this Act. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.