BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 849

By: Huffines

Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that licensed physicians travel with athletic teams across state lines on a regular basis but that it is possible that those physicians are not licensed in Texas. The parties have expressed a need to provide out-of-state team physicians a pathway for compliance with Texas licensure laws. S.B. 849 seeks to provide for that compliance by exempting such physicians who are actively licensed in another state from Texas licensure under certain conditions.

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

S.B. 849 amends the Occupations Code to exempt a person from the licensing requirements of the Medical Practice Act and to authorize a person to engage in the practice of medicine in Texas if the person is employed or designated as a team physician by a sports team visiting Texas for a specific sporting event, is licensed to practice medicine in the team's home state, and limits the person's practice of medicine in Texas to treating, during the period beginning on the date the team arrives in Texas for the event and ending on the 10th day after the date of the event, the team's members, coaches, and staff and such a person's family member who is visiting Texas for the event. The bill exempts a sports team physician engaged in the practice of medicine as authorized by the bill from statutory provisions relating to athletic trainers.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.