BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 80

By: Ortega

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised that Texas lacks a sufficient number of certain health care professionals in proportion to population, particularly with regard to professionals with doctoral‑level training. C.S.H.B. 80 seeks to remedy this situation by requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct a study and make recommendations on shortages in the relevant health professions.

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

C.S.H.B. 80 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, subject to the availability of funds, to conduct a study in collaboration with the Texas Health Professions Resource Center, the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, and the Texas Demographic Center to identify statewide and regional shortages in health professions, with an emphasis on shortages in doctoral-level training in those professions. The bill requires the coordinating board to develop an inventory of existing health science education programs and to note the enrollment capacity for each of those programs. The bill requires the study to include an analysis of shortages in the following health professions for which doctoral-level training is offered: medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, psychology, pharmacy, public health, and speech-language pathology.

C.S.H.B. 80 requires the coordinating board to make recommendations regarding the establishment of new programs and expansion of existing programs to meet the increased need for health professionals in Texas. The bill requires the coordinating board, not later than December 1, 2023, to submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each legislative standing committee with primary jurisdiction over higher education the results of its study and recommendations for legislative or other action. The bill authorizes the coordinating board to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source to conduct the study, prepare the report, and develop the recommendations. The bill's provisions expire January 1, 2024.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 80 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a requirement for the study to include an analysis of shortages in dentistry.