89R14997 CMO-F
 
  By: McLaughlin H.B. No. 4186
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain
  physicians employed as county medical examiners.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 61.532, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  A physician employed as a forensic pathologist is
  eligible to receive repayment assistance under this subchapter to
  the same extent as a physician who qualifies for repayment
  assistance under Subsection (a), if the physician:
               (1)  satisfies the requirements of Subsections (a)(1)
  and (2); and
               (2)  enters into a written agreement with the board to
  complete four consecutive years of practice as a forensic
  pathologist employed as a county medical examiner in a county
  located within 100 kilometers of the Rio Grande River.
         SECTION 2.  Section 61.533, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows:
         (c)  Repayment assistance grants paid in relation to
  services described by Section 61.532(a-1) are limited to 10
  physicians.  In selecting physicians to receive repayment
  assistance under this subsection, the board shall prioritize
  physicians employed as a county medical examiner serving counties
  with the highest demand for forensic pathologist services based on:
               (1)  the relative scarcity of forensic pathologists in
  the county; and
               (2)  the average caseload of the county medical
  examiner.
         (d)  A physician employed as a forensic pathologist who
  enters into an agreement with the board under Section
  61.532(a-1)(2) shall reimburse the board for the amount of any
  repayment assistance received by the physician under this
  subchapter if the physician fails to complete the consecutive years
  of practice required by that section. The board by rule may provide
  an exception to the reimbursement required under this subsection in
  the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown by a
  physician.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.