Delegation to TMA |
What Is the House of Delegates?
Who runs TMA? YOU DO! The association is governed by a 500-member House of Delegates, the legislative and policymaking body. The house is made up of elected county medical society delegates (one delegate per 100 members or fraction) and the following ex officio: members of the Board of Trustees, 15 councilors, Texas delegates and alternate delegates to the American Medical Association, members of the Council on Legislation and chairs of the other councils, delegates from the Young Physician Section, International Medical Graduate Section, Resident and Fellow Section, and Medical Student Section, and delegates of selected specialty societies.
The House of Delegates meets every year at an annual session held during TexMed in the spring.
The best way to get your idea or change adopted as TMA policy is at the grassroots level. Present your idea or change at your county medical society meeting. If the county agrees, your idea is submitted as a resolution at the next meeting of the House of Delegates. If adopted by the house, and if it has nationwide appeal, it may be forwarded to the AMA for action. If the county does not agree with your idea or recommendation, you may contact a delegate from your society and ask that he or she submit a resolution for consideration by the house.
Ideas and action also are developed and sent to the house by association boards, councils, committees, and sections.
Being a delegate to TMA means you will be involved in determining the policies of the Texas Medical Association and the election of the officers of the TMA. Your participation is critical to the goals and future of the TMA.
Some of you may wonder what the duties of a member of the House of Delegates are, Members of the House of Delegates may propose resolutions for the House to consider, and all resolutions submitted for consideration to the House are debated. These resolutions may cover a number of subjects including Public Health issues, legislative and regulatory issues, medical education, and a host of other areas affecting the practice of medicine in Texas and the United States. Members of the of House Delegates elect the officers of the Association, the at large Trustees, and delegates and alternate delegates to the AMA.
At the county medical society level, there are two additional meetings for delegates and alternate delegates to attend prior to the meeting of the House of Delegates during TexMed, each year. One meeting is the Resolution Review Meeting, which usually meets in February, where BCMS Delegates and Alternates meet to review resolutions submitted by BCMS members for consideration. The other meeting is the Handbook Review Meeting, which usually meets in April, where BCMS Delegates and Alternates meet to review and take positions on all resolutions submitted by members from around the state, for consideration by TMA.
Meeting Dates: Click Here for the BCMS calendar
Contact Information:
Dr.Jesse Moss, Chair
Dr.Jayesh Shah, Vice Chair
Staff liaison:
Jacob Hernandez
(210) 582-6371
email: jacob.hernandez@bcms.org
