BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2080

By: King, Tracy O.

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, a prescription for a disabled parking placard may be issued by a licensed physician assistant (PA) or a licensed advanced practice nurse (APN) for the first application for such a placard submitted by a person residing in a rural county with a population of 125,000 or less. Some people have expressed concern that PAs and APNs are not authorized to write such prescriptions in urban counties despite the fact that for many patients in urban medically underserved areas a disabled parking placard is a medical necessity. H.B. 2080 seeks to remedy this situation by removing the limitation on the authority of PAs and APNs to issue a prescription for a disabled parking placard to individuals who reside in certain rural counties.

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

H.B. 2080 amends the Transportation Code to remove, in the provision of law authorizing the notarized written statement or prescription required for a person's first application for a disabled parking placard to be issued by a licensed advanced practice nurse or physician assistant acting under the delegation and supervision of a licensed physician or a physician assistant licensed to practice in Texas acting as the agent of a licensed physician, the limitation of that provision to a person residing in a county with a population of 125,000 or less.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.