SRC-TJG S.B. 788 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 788
78R5447 JMM-DBy: Carona
Health & Human Services
3/16/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, physicians who are foreign medical school graduates and who
complete Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education fellowships
are unable to obtain a Texas medical license.  As proposed, S.B. 788
establishes eligibility and application requirements for a foreign medical
school graduate with specific expertise in a postgraduate area or
subspecialty.  This bill applies to a graduate of an "acceptable
unapproved medical school" that is located outside the United States or
Canada who meets certain requirements.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas State Board of
Medical Examiners in SECTION 2 of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 155A, Occupations Code, by adding Section
155.0045, as follows: 

Sec. 155.0045.  ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN GRADUATES OF FOREIGN MEDICAL
SCHOOLS HAVING SPECIAL EXPERTISE.  (a) Provides that an applicant for a
medical license who is a graduate of a medical school that is located
outside of the United States and Canada and whose curriculum meets the
requirements for an unapproved medial school as determined by a committee
of experts selected by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
(THECB) is eligible for a license under this chapter if the applicant
meets certain requirements. 

(b) Requires an application under this section to be made on behalf of the
applicant by the chairman of the department in which the applicant
completed the fellowship described by Subsection (a)(3).  Requires the
application to be completed on a form prescribed by the Texas State Board
of Medical Examiners  and include or be accompanied by the information and
documentation required by THECB, including the chairman's recommendation
to TSBME regarding the applicant. 

SECTION 2.  (a) Effective date: September 1, 2003.

(b) Requires TSBME to adopt rules and prescribe forms necessary to
implement the requirements of Section 155.0045, Occupations Code, as added
by this Act, not later than March 1, 2004.