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BCMS LEGISLATIVE AND
ADVOCACY NEWS
84th Legislative Session
Adjourned sine die June 1
Governor signs into law TMA-backed bills;
vetoes two
By Mary E. Nava, MBA
BCMS Chief Governmental and Community Relations Officer
At the time of this writing, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into missions or ER visits; and House Bill 3781, would create the Texas
law three TMA-backed bills four days prior to the end of the 84th Health Improvement Network, a collaborative, multi-entity ini-
Legislative Session, which adjourned sine die June 1: Senate Bill tiative, housed within the UT system, to address significant health
66, on the use of epinephrine auto-injectors in public schools; Sen- disparities in our state.
ate Bill 97, on restricting a minor’s access to e-cigarettes; and
House Bill 1945, on removing restrictions on direct contracting In addition, the legislature approved a $203 billion state budget
for primary care. for the 2016-17 biennium, which includes $53 million for GME
expansion grants, appropriates $4 million for existing family med-
As of press time for this issue of San Antonio Medicine, several icine residency programs and $3 million to revitalize the Statewide
more bills of importance to medicine had been passed and were Primary Care Preceptorship Program. The budget also includes
awaiting the governor’s signature: significant increases for women’s health, mental health programs
and tobacco cessation programs. On the tax front, House Bill 7
Senate Bill 195, which would eliminate the state’s Controlled includes the repeal of the $200 per year occupation tax, which
Substance Registration (CSR) permit program, effective Sept. 1, physicians and other professionals in Texas pay; and House Bill 32
2016; Senate Bill 202, which extends the life of the Texas Depart- cuts the state franchise tax by 25 percent.
ment of State Health Services for another 12 years, with extensive
changes to agency operations; Senate Bill 207, on the Medicaid It was quite a shock and a real disappointment to physicians that
Office of Inspector General, improves the OIG’s accountability Abbott vetoed two mental health bills soon after the session ended.
and institutes fair rules and processes for physicians accused of
waste, fraud or abuse; Senate Bill 239, would establish an addi- The first bill, Senate Bill 359, would have allowed a four-hour
tional loan remittance program to medical graduates choosing to emergency department hold for a mentally ill patient that a physi-
practice as psychiatrists or other mental health professionals in an cian would deem to be a danger to themselves or to others. The
underserved Texas county; Senate Bill 760, on improving oversight other bill, House Bill 225, would have protected from prosecution
and accountability of Medicaid HMO’s physician networks; Sen- people who seek emergency care for someone suffering a drug over-
ate Bill 791, would increase the availability of educational material dose, and also would have allowed first responders to administer
on congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in infants; House Bill an opioid antagonist to save someone from a potentially fatal over-
1621, on utilization review appeals, would require a 30-day ad- dose.
vance notice of an adverse utilization review determination involv-
ing prescription drugs or IV infusions; House Bill 1624, on To stay current on the most recent legislative news, read the
tougher requirements for health plans to post accurate and up-to- BCMS electronic newsletter, The Weekly Dose, and visit
date drug formularies and network directories on publicly accessi- www.bcms.org.
ble Internet pages; House Bill 3519, would allow Medicaid to pay
for home telemonitoring services for patients with two or more For local discussion on this and other legislative advocacy is-
specific medical conditions and a history of frequent hospital ad- sues, consider joining the BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics
Committee by contacting Mary Nava at Mary.Nava@bcms.org.
visit us at www.bcms.org 11
