THANKS TO YOU, the Texas House Public Health Committee passed medical board reform by a landslide vote of 7-2. This bipartisan bill, CSHB 1013, was first on the agenda today and only two committee members voted against it. In addition, nearly a majority of all the House members have also signed on in support of this landmark legislation.
This bill, CSHB 1013, will end anonymous and nearly all confidential complaints. It will also add important due process protections for physicians which have been sorely lacking for years. You can visit Texans for Patients’ and Physicians’ Rights at http://www.txppr.org to review the synopsis of the bill and to read the complete version.
But our work is not done, because after the vote the powerful Texas Medical Association reiterated its determination to block this bill from passing. This is despite how the Public Health Committee changed the bill to satisfy the demands of the TMA’s witnesses at the hearing. Unfortunately, there is a revolving door between the TMA and Texas Medical Board (TMB), and the TMA works harder to protect the TMB than to protect physicians victimized by the TMB.
The TMA will now interfere behind the scenes with passage of this bill by the full House and Senate. Already the TMA’s two biggest allies on the Public Health Committee – Vicki Truitt (R- Keller, 512-463-0690) and Susan King (R- Abilene, 512-463-0718) – were notably absent from the vote this morning. Do not be mistaken: the TMA is going to do everything it can to prevent final passage of this medical board reform.
Please thank the Committee members who sided with real physicians and patients in passing this bipartisan bill out of their committee: Chairwoman Lois Kolkhorst (R- Brenham) – 512.463.0600, Carol Alvarado (D- Houston) – 512.463.0732, Sarah Davis (R- Houston) – 512.463.0389, Jodie Laubenberg (R- Parker) – 512.463-0186, Dr. Charles Schwertner (R- Georgetown) – 512.463.0309. Also, special thanks to the bipartisan sponsors of this bill: Veronica Gonzales (D- McAllen) – 512.463.0578 and Dr. John Zerwas (R- Richmond) – 512.463.0657.
PLEASE CALL THE TMA AND LET THEM KNOW YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT THAT IT OPPOSES THIS BILL. We do not want another two years of arbitrary and abusive investigations by the Texas Medical Board based on confidential complaints!
