1-1     By:  Edwards (Senate Sponsor - Bernsen)               H.B. No. 1651
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 30, 2001;
 1-3     April 30, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
 1-4     and Human Services; May 8, 2001, reported favorably by the
 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 8, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the authority of optometrists and therapeutic
 1-9     optometrists to form certain professional associations.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 2(A), Texas Professional Association Act
1-12     (Article 1528f, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read
1-13     as follows:
1-14           (A)  Formation.  Any one or more persons duly licensed to
1-15     practice a profession, including podiatry, [or] dentistry, or
1-16     optometry or therapeutic optometry, under the laws of this state
1-17     may, by complying with this Act, form a professional association,
1-18     as distinguished from either a partnership or a corporation, by
1-19     associating themselves for the purpose of performing professional
1-20     services and dividing the gains therefrom as stated in articles of
1-21     association or bylaws.
1-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-23     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-24     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-25     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-26     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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