HBA-NRS H.B. 3153 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3153
By: Capelo
Public Health
3/30/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law allows doctors of podiatry or dentistry to create jointly
owned, managed, or operated health care facilities in the form of
professional associations. Such multi-disciplinary health care facilities
or practices reduce the need for the patient to travel from place to place
and doctor to doctor to receive needed diagnostic and treatment services
thereby eliminating the duplication of expensive health services and
providing for better treatment and management of specific health
conditions. Because doctors of chiropractic are not included in the
authorizing statute, chiropractors who want to form such associations
usually have to form intricate corporate structures that are more costly to
operate and manage. House Bill 3153 authorizes one or more persons duly
licensed to practice chiropractic to form certain professional
associations. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 3153 amends the Texas Professional Association Act to authorize
one or more persons duly licensed to practice chiropractic to form certain
professional associations, as distinguished from either a partnership or a
corporation, by associating themselves for the purpose of performing
professional services and dividing the gains therefrom as stated in
articles of association or bylaws. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.