With redistricting on the agenda and razor-thin margins in both the House and the Senate, this session promises to be one of the most partisan in recent memory.

After the political saturation that accompanies an election year and the mass confusion wrought by this particular presidential election, most Texans are probably ready for a break from politics. Not so fast. On January 9, the gavel came down sounding the call to order of the 77th Texas Legislature. With more than 20 interim studies on health care issues completed before this session, this legislature should be ready to tackle a host of issues important to physicians and their patients. But with budget battles looming and the grim task of redistricting at the top of the agenda, political observers say this could be one of the most partisan legislative sessions in recent state history.

Now that former Texas Governor George W. Bush has assumed his new position and Rick Perry is governor, Senator Bill Ratliff (R-Mount Pleasant) has been elected to the Texas Senate’s presiding office. He has made his committee appointments and at press time, Speaker of the House Pete Laney (D-Hale Center) is expected to do the same any day. Partisan balance in both houses is razor thin, with Republicans holding a 16-15 advantage over Democrats in the Senate and Democrats managing a 5-vote majority in the 150-member House with one vacancy.

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Contact the TAFP Legislative Department:

Tom Banning, Director of Legislative Affairs

Greg Herzog, 
Legislative Aide

Former Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was fond of saying that in every session, there are two issues: the budget and everything else. This session, however, will be dominated by redistricting, the once-every-10-years process by which lawmakers reapportion state House and Senate districts as well as Texas congressional districts. In this situation, it’s every politician for him/herself, as they jockey for district delineations that will ensure either re-election or election to a U.S. congressional seat. Observers say the battles are personal and much legislation, no matter how well intentioned, tends to be held hostage or die in the night.

 

That being said, here is a list of issues the academy will be working on during the session:

 

Managed Care Reforms and Refinement of Existing Statutes

  • Refine Prompt Pay/Clean Claims statute

  • Prohibit Mandatory Hospitalist programs

  • Prohibit Tied Products/All Products Clauses

  • Retool Physician Negotiation and Antitrust Statute

  • Standardized Credentialing and Referral Forms

Medicaid

  • Improve and enhance provider reimbursement

  • Streamline eligibility and claims process

  • Extend moratorium on further Medicaid managed care roll-outs

  • Develop alternatives to current Medicaid delivery systems

Scope of Practice

  • Advanced nurse practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists seek delegated prescriptive authority for scheduled narcotics

  • Psychologist want prescriptive authority

  • Physical Therapist seek direct access

Lawsuit Abuse

  • Meaningful sanctions for malicious prosecution and abuse of process

  • Oversight of industry underwriting practices

  • Thoughtful response to patient safety concerns

Other Issues

  • Protect Patients Medical Records

  • Funding for Family Practice Graduate Medical Education

  • Preserve the tobacco settlement funds for health related initiatives

  • Open the Telecommunication Infrastructure Fund to for-profitproviders for grants and loans for high tech infrastructure

  • Expand telemedicine to improve access to health care

  • Create an immunization registry

  • Establish a Locum Tenens program to provide relief to rural physicians