BILL ANALYSIS
By: Hughes
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Under current law, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (Board) can renew an expired license, provided the license has not been expired for longer than one year. In cases in which a dentist allows his license to lapse for longer than one year, he must start the license process as if he were applying for a license for the first time.
Some retired dentists who wish to do charity work in their communities have inadvertently allowed their licenses to expire for longer than a year and are unable to provide charity care. Current law does not allow the Board to renew a license once it has lapsed for over a year.
HB 643 allows the Board to renew the license of a dentist who fails to renew his license for a year or more, provided the dentist places his renewed license on retired status and confines his practice to voluntary charity care.
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
HB 643 allows the State Board of Dental Examiners to renew the license of a person whose license is expired for one year or more without requiring the person to comply with the requirements and procedures for an original license if the person places the person's renewed license on retired status and confines the person's practice solely to voluntary charity care as defined under Section 256.102(f) of the Occupations Code.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007.