C.S.H.B. 2802 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 2802 By: Giddings Higher Education Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is a dire shortage of hospital and retail pharmacists nationally, in Texas and specifically in the north Texas region. There are approximately 11,000 vacancies for pharmacists nationwide. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics show that 35 percent more pharmacists will be needed than what will be available in 2005. There are fewer than 100 pharmacy schools nationwide, and only five in Texas, including Texas A&M-Kingsville, which will not begin offering courses until 2005. Texas' existing pharmacy schools are graduating fewer than 400 pharmacists annually, resulting in Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) projections estimating Texas will have 430 pharmacist vacancies annually until 2008. Prescriptions in the United States are expected to reach 4.3 billion in 2003 compared to 2.3 billion in 2000. According to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, the region faces a severe shortage of pharmacists trained at the Pharm.D. level. Walgreen, Co., the nations largest drugstore chain is currently opening more than one retail drug store a day, and is expected to open 12 more in the next one to two years in the Dallas-Forth Worth region. CSHB 2802 establishes a professional school of Pharmacy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). The UNTHSC School of Pharmacy will help to alleviate this shortage, expecting to matriculate 35 students in its first year of operation, and increase to 75 students by the school's third year. A UNTHSC School of Pharmacy will offer enhanced basic science and clinical research opportunities, add dual degree programs and support the participation, success and excellence goals of the state's Closing the Gaps initiative. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS CSHB 2802 amends Subchapter H, Chapter 105, Education Code, by adding Section 105.405, to authorize the board of regents of The University of North Texas System (board) to establish and maintain a professional school of pharmacy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. The bill provides that if available facilities for the school of pharmacy at the health science center become insufficient to operate the school, the board may locate any facility necessary for the permanent operation of the school of pharmacy on land owned by the system for establishing the University of North Texas at Dallas, or if that university has been established, at the university. CSHB 2802 provides that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall prepare an impact statement examining the initial implementation of the bill and to deliver a copy of the statement to the board and to the chair of the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over higher education not later than August 31, 2004. EFFECTIVE DATE This Act takes effect September 1, 2003. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE CSHB 2802 modifies the original to clearly designate the permanent location of the school of pharmacy at the University of North Texas at Dallas.