By:  Carona                                                       S.B. No. 211


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the licensing and regulation of chiropractors.                    
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 201, Occupations Code, is 
amended by adding Section 201.206 to read as follows:
	Sec. 201.206.  CONFIDENTIALITY OF INVESTIGATION FILES.  
(a)  The board's investigation files are confidential, privileged, 
and not subject to discovery, subpoena, or any other means of legal 
compulsion for release other than to the board or an employee or 
agent of the board.
	(b)  The board shall share information in investigation 
files, on request, with another state or federal regulatory agency 
or with a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency 
regardless of whether the investigation has been completed.  The 
board is not required to disclose under this subsection information 
that is an attorney-client communication, an attorney work product, 
or other information protected by a privilege recognized by the 
Texas Rules of Civil Procedure or the Texas Rules of Evidence.
	(c)  On the completion of the investigation and before a 
hearing under Section 201.505, the board shall provide to the 
license holder, subject to any other privilege or restriction set 
forth by rule, statute, or legal precedent, access to all 
information in the board's possession that the board intends to 
offer into evidence in presenting its case in chief at the contested 
case hearing on the complaint.  The board is not required to 
provide:
		(1)  a board investigative report or memorandum;                       
		(2)  the identity of a nontestifying complainant; or                   
		(3)  attorney-client communications, attorney work 
product, or other materials covered by a privilege recognized by 
the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure or the Texas Rules of Evidence.
	(d)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the board may:                     
		(1)  disclose a complaint to the affected license 
holder; and        
		(2)  provide to a complainant the license holder's 
response to the complaint, if providing the response is considered 
by the board to be necessary to investigate the complaint.
	(e)  This section does not prohibit the board or another 
party in a disciplinary action from offering into evidence in a 
contested case under Chapter 2001, Government Code, a record, 
document, or other information obtained or created during an 
investigation.
	SECTION 2.  Section 201.355, Occupations Code, is amended by 
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as 
follows:
	(a)  The board may renew without reexamination an expired 
license of a person who was licensed in this state, moved to another 
state or foreign country, and is currently licensed in good 
standing and has been in practice in the other state or foreign 
country for the two years preceding application.
	(c)  For purposes of this section, a person is currently 
licensed if the person is licensed by another chiropractic 
licensing board recognized by the board.  The board shall adopt 
requirements for recognizing another chiropractic licensing board 
that:
		(1)  has licensing requirements substantially 
equivalent to the requirements of this chapter; and
		(2)  maintains professional standards considered by 
the board to be equivalent to the standards under this chapter.
	SECTION 3.  Subsection (b), Section 201.303, Occupations 
Code, is repealed.  
	SECTION 4.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.                      
	(b)  Section 201.206, Occupations Code, as added by this Act, 
applies to a complaint or investigation pending on the effective 
date of this Act or filed on or after that date.
	(c)  The change in law made by this Act by the amendment of 
Subsection (a), Section 201.355, Occupations Code, applies only to 
an application to renew a license filed on or after the effective 
date of this Act.  An application to renew a license filed before 
the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on 
the date the application was filed, and the former law is continued 
in effect for that purpose.