BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4003

By: Sheffield

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding the shortage of primary care physicians practicing in Texas. There have been calls to study various methods to understand and address this shortage. H.B. 4003 seeks to address this issue by requiring such a study by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

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. 4003 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct a study regarding methods to mitigate or prevent a shortage in the number of primary care physicians practicing in Texas. The bill sets out the following with regard to the study:

· requires the study to include an analysis of whether requiring or incentivizing graduate medical education programs to increase the number of first-year residency positions leading to a medical specialty in family practice or primary care to 50 percent of first-year residency positions offered by the program will positively impact the number of physicians who practice primary care in Texas; and

· authorizes the study to include an analysis of the feasibility of providing additional funding for medical residencies for rural and community-based hospital family practice and primary care positions, including by providing funding for the repayment of certain physician education loans.

The bill requires the coordinating board, not later than December 1, 2020, to submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives a report on the results of the study and any recommendations for legislative or other action. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2021.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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