BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2081

By: Laubenberg

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Texas Physician Assistant Board is responsible for regulating licensed physician assistants, including approving applicants for licensure and holding disciplinary proceedings for and taking enforcement action against licensees. In recent years, due to the significant growth in the number of licensed physician assistants in Texas, the workload of the board has grown, particularly in these areas of regulation. H.B. 2081 seeks to amend the law relating to board membership to allow the board to more easily perform its duties.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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. 2081 amends the Occupations Code to increase from nine to 13 the number of members of the Texas Physician Assistant Board by increasing from three to seven the number of board members who are practicing physician assistants who each have at least five years of clinical experience. The bill specifies that the board member designated as the presiding officer of the board is to be a physician assistant. The bill requires the governor, not later than November 1, 2015, to appoint four members to the physician assistant board as follows: one member for a term expiring February 1, 2017, one member for a term expiring February 1, 2019, and two members for terms expiring February 1, 2021. The bill provides for the removal of a presiding officer of the board who does not meet the qualifications for office on the bill's effective date and requires the governor, as soon as practicable on or after the bill's effective date, to appoint a presiding officer who meets the qualifications.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.