By Moncrief                                           S.B. No. 1223
         76R9108 MXM-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to allowing licensed vocational nurses to be certified to
 1-3     practice acupuncture for certain limited purposes.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 6.118(a), Medical Practice Act (Article
 1-6     4495b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as added by Chapter 626,
 1-7     Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, is amended to
 1-8     read as follows:
 1-9           (a)  The medical board may certify a person as an acudetox
1-10     specialist under this section if the person:
1-11                 (1)  provides to the medical board documentation that
1-12     the person is a certified social worker, a licensed professional
1-13     counselor, a licensed psychologist, a licensed chemical dependency
1-14     counselor, a licensed vocational nurse, or a licensed registered
1-15     nurse;
1-16                 (2)  provides to the medical board documentation that
1-17     the person has successfully completed a training program in
1-18     acupuncture detoxification which meets guidelines approved by the
1-19     medical board; and
1-20                 (3)  pays a certification fee in an amount set by the
1-21     medical board.
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
 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,
 2-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
 2-4     passage, and it is so enacted.