BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2123
88R12874 MM-D	By: Hughes
	Subcommittee on Higher Education
	4/3/2023
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Established by the legislature in 2001, the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) is a workforce pipeline program that assists highly qualified undergraduate students from low socioeconomic backgrounds with earning admission to medical school. Participating students are identified in their sophomore year of college and are provided resources such as mentorships, internship experiences, and MCAT preparation courses. JAMP participants who successfully meet rigorous program requirements are guaranteed admission to a participating Texas medical school.

Under current law, all existing public medical schools in Texas participate in JAMP, except for the recently established medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. S.B. 2123 expands the list of participating JAMP medical schools to include the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and specifies the timeline by which the institution will begin participating in JAMP programming.

As proposed, S.B. 2123 amends current law relating to the participation of the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler in the Joint Admission Medical Program.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 51.821(4), Education Code, as follows:

(4) Provides that "participating medical school" means certain entities, including the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 2. (a) Requires the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to:

(1) enter into the agreement with the Joint Admission Medical Program Council required by Section 51.829 (Council Agreement With Participating Medical School), Education Code; and

(2) select an appropriate faculty member to represent the medical school on the council.

(b) Provides that the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler is required to provide internships and mentoring under the Joint Admission Medical Program as appropriate beginning not later than the 2024�2025 academic year, but is not required before the 2026�2027 academic year to admit participating students to the school under the program.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2023.