By:  Madla                                             S.B. No. 414
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the application of certain rules of the Texas State
 1-2     Board of Pharmacy to certain pharmacy pilot and demonstration
 1-3     projects.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subsection (v), Section 17, Texas Pharmacy Act
 1-6     (Article 4542a-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to
 1-7     read as follows:
 1-8           (v)  The board may approve pilot and demonstration research
 1-9     projects for innovative applications in the practice of pharmacy.
1-10     The board shall specify the procedures to be followed in applying
1-11     for approval of such a project.  The approval may include the
1-12     granting of an exception to rules adopted under this Act.  The
1-13     board may extend the time an exception to a rule is granted as
1-14     necessary for the board to adopt an amendment or modification of
1-15     the rule.  The board may condition approval of a project on
1-16     compliance with this subsection and rules adopted under this
1-17     subsection.  This subsection shall not be construed to expand the
1-18     definition of pharmacy as provided in this Act.  Demonstration
1-19     projects shall not include therapeutic substitution or substitution
1-20     of medical devices used in patient care.
1-21           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-22           SECTION 3.  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
 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.