| 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 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 8 | 8 | | Board concerning a shortage of primary care physicians in this |
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| 9 | 9 | | state. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 61.088 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 61.088. STUDY REGARDING PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN |
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| 14 | 14 | | SHORTAGE. (a) The board shall conduct a study regarding methods to |
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| 15 | 15 | | mitigate or prevent a shortage in the number of primary care |
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| 16 | 16 | | physicians practicing in this state. The study: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) must include an analysis of whether requiring or |
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| 18 | 18 | | incentivizing graduate medical education programs to increase the |
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| 19 | 19 | | number of first-year residency positions leading to a medical |
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| 20 | 20 | | specialty in family practice or primary care to 50 percent of |
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| 21 | 21 | | first-year residency positions offered by the program will |
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| 22 | 22 | | positively impact the number of physicians who practice primary |
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| 23 | 23 | | care in this state; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) may include an analysis of the feasibility of |
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| 25 | 25 | | providing additional funding for medical residencies for rural and |
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| 26 | 26 | | community-based hospital family practice and primary care |
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| 27 | 27 | | positions, including by providing funding for the repayment of |
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| 28 | 28 | | student loans for physicians under Subchapter J. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b) Not later than December 1, 2020, the board shall submit |
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| 30 | 30 | | to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the |
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| 31 | 31 | | house of representatives a report on the results of the study and |
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| 32 | 32 | | any recommendations for legislative or other action. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c) This section expires September 1, 2021. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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