HBA-MPM S.B. 1525 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1525 By: Madla Public Health 5/2/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 1983, under the Licensed Dietitian Act, the profession of dietetics was licensed. This Act is administered by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Dietitians (board), an independent state agency administratively attached to the Texas Department of Health. Licensed dietitians provide services, including nutrition assessments, planning, counseling, care management, and evaluation as part of the health care delivery team, usually upon the order or referral of a physician or other practitioner. An individual wishing to qualify for licensure must have a baccalaureate degree in nutrition, dietetics, or a similar degree program from a regionally approved college or university, a supervised internship under the supervision of a licensed dietitian, and passed a state-administered or approved licensure examination. S.B. 1525 adds "medical nutrition therapy" to the services provided by a licensed dietitian, and would authorize the board to determine the qualifications of licensees that provide nutrition services. 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, Article 4512h, V.T.C.S. (Licensed Dietitian Act), to redefine "nutrition services" and to define "medical nutrition therapy." Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes. SECTION 2. Amends Section 6, Article 4512h, V.T.C.S., by adding Subsection (d), to authorize the Texas State Board of Examiners of Dietitians (board) to adopt procedures and standards necessary to determine the qualifications of a person licensed under this Act to provide nutrition services under a law administered by another state agency. Provides that the board is the only state agency authorized to determine the qualifications of a person licensed under this Act to provide those services, notwithstanding any other law or rule. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.