1-1     By:  Tillery, Lewis of Tarrant, Burnam                 H.B. No. 504
 1-2          (Senate Sponsor - Carona)
 1-3           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 1999;
 1-4     April 26, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-5     Economic Development; May 5, 1999, reported adversely, with
 1-6     favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays
 1-7     0; May 5, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-8     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 504                   By:  Carona
 1-9                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-10                                   AN ACT
1-11     relating to the definition of a physician qualified to be an expert
1-12     witness in certain professional malpractice suits.
1-13           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-14           SECTION 1.  Section 14.01, Medical Liability and Insurance
1-15     Improvement Act of Texas (Article 4590i, Vernon's Texas Civil
1-16     Statutes), is amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
1-17           (g)  In this section, "physician" means a person who is:
1-18                 (1)  licensed to practice medicine in the United
1-19     States; or
1-20                 (2)  a graduate of a medical school accredited by the
1-21     Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
1-22           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-27     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-28     passage, and it is so enacted.
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