| 1 | 1 | | 85R12485 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Ortega, Howard, Clardy, Button H.B. No. 3048 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a study and report regarding shortages in certain |
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| 8 | 8 | | health professions. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 61.0669 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.0669. STUDY ON SHORTAGES IN CERTAIN HEALTH |
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| 13 | 13 | | PROFESSIONS. (a) Subject to the availability of funds, the board |
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| 14 | 14 | | shall conduct a study in collaboration with the Texas Health |
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| 15 | 15 | | Professions Resource Center, the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce |
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| 16 | 16 | | Studies, and the Texas Demographic Center to identify statewide and |
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| 17 | 17 | | regional shortages in health professions, with an emphasis on |
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| 18 | 18 | | shortages in doctoral-level training in those health professions. |
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| 19 | 19 | | The board shall develop an inventory of existing health science |
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| 20 | 20 | | education programs and shall note the enrollment capacity for each |
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| 21 | 21 | | of those programs. The study must include an analysis of shortages |
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| 22 | 22 | | in the following health professions for which doctoral-level |
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| 23 | 23 | | training is offered: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) medicine, including a doctor of medicine degree |
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| 25 | 25 | | (M.D.) and a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree (D.O.); |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) nursing, including a doctor of philosophy degree |
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| 27 | 27 | | and a doctor of nursing practice degree; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) physical therapy, including a doctor of philosophy |
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| 29 | 29 | | degree and a doctor of physical therapy degree; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (4) occupational therapy, including a doctor of |
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| 31 | 31 | | philosophy degree and a doctor of occupational therapy degree; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) audiology, including a doctor of philosophy degree |
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| 33 | 33 | | and a doctor of audiology degree; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) psychology, including a doctor of philosophy |
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| 35 | 35 | | degree and a doctor of psychology degree; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (7) pharmacy, including a doctor of philosophy degree |
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| 37 | 37 | | and a doctor of pharmacy degree; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (8) public health, including a doctor of philosophy |
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| 39 | 39 | | degree and a doctor of public health degree. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (b) The board shall make recommendations regarding the |
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| 41 | 41 | | establishment of new programs and expansion of existing programs to |
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| 42 | 42 | | meet the increased need for health professionals in the state, |
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| 43 | 43 | | including in particular the increased need for health professionals |
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| 44 | 44 | | with doctoral-level training. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (c) Not later than November 1, 2018, the board shall submit |
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| 46 | 46 | | to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house |
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| 47 | 47 | | of representatives, and each legislative standing committee with |
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| 48 | 48 | | primary jurisdiction over higher education the results of its study |
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| 49 | 49 | | under this section and recommendations for legislative or other |
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| 50 | 50 | | action. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (d) The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 52 | 52 | | donations from any public or private source to conduct the study, |
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| 53 | 53 | | prepare the report, and develop recommendations as required under |
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| 54 | 54 | | this section. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (e) This section expires January 1, 2019. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 57 | 57 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 58 | 58 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 60 | 60 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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