S.B. No. 29

	AN ACT
	relating to the creation of a minimum data set for the collection of
	information on health professionals by the statewide health
	coordinating council.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 105.003, Health and Safety Code, is
	amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (c-1),
	(c-2), (c-3), (f), (g), and (h) to read as follows:
	(c)  The Department of Information Resources, through
	TexasOnline and in consultation with the council and the Health
	Professions Council, shall add and label as "mandatory" the
	following fields on an application or renewal form for a license,
	certificate, or registration for a person subject to Subsection
	(c-2):
	(1)  full name and last four digits of social security
	number;
	(2)  full mailing address; and
	(3)  educational background and training, including
	basic health professions degree, school name and location of basic
	health professions degree, and graduation year for basic health
	professions degree, and, as applicable, highest professional
	degree obtained, related professional school name and location, and
	related graduation year [At a minimum, the data collected by the
	council must include the following in regard to health
	professionals:
	[(1)  their number and geographic distribution;
	[(2)  licensure or certification status;
	[(3)  specialty areas, if applicable; and
	[(4)     trends or changes in license holders according to
	number or geographic distribution].
	(c-1)  The Department of Information Resources, through
	TexasOnline and in consultation with the council and the Health
	Professions Council, shall add the following fields on an
	application or renewal form for a license, certificate, or
	registration for a person subject to Subsection (c-2):
	(1)  date and place of birth;
	(2)  sex;
	(3)  race and ethnicity;
	(4)  location of high school;
	(5)  mailing address of primary practice;
	(6)  number of hours per week spent at primary practice
	location;
	(7)  description of primary practice setting;
	(8)  primary practice information, including primary
	specialty practice, practice location zip code, and county; and
	(9)  information regarding any additional practice,
	including description of practice setting, practice location zip
	code, and county.
	(c-2)  The following health professionals are subject to
	this section:
	(1)  audiologists;
	(2)  chiropractors;
	(3)  licensed professional counselors;
	(4)  licensed chemical dependency counselors;
	(5)  dentists;
	(6)  dental hygienists;
	(7)  emergency medical services personnel;
	(8)  marriage and family therapists;
	(9)  medical radiologic technologists;
	(10)  licensed vocational nurses;
	(11)  registered nurses;
	(12)  certified nurse aides;
	(13)  occupational therapists;
	(14)  optometrists;
	(15)  pharmacists;
	(16)  physical therapists;
	(17)  physicians;
	(18)  physician assistants;
	(19)  psychologists;
	(20)  social workers; and
	(21)  speech-language pathologists.
	(c-3)  The relevant members of the Health Professions
	Council shall encourage each person described by Subsection (c-2)
	licensed, certified, or registered under that council's authority
	to submit application and renewal information under Subsections (c)
	and (c-1) through the system developed by the Department of
	Information Resources and TexasOnline.
	(f)  The relevant members of the Health Professions Council,
	in conjunction with the Department of Information Resources, shall
	ensure that the information collected under Subsections (c) and
	(c-1) is transmitted to the statewide health coordinating council.
	The council shall store the information as needed and conduct
	related workforce studies, including a determination of the
	geographical distribution of the reporting professionals.
	(g)  The relevant members of the Health Professions Council,
	in conjunction with the Department of Information Resources, shall
	ensure that the following information is submitted to the statewide
	health coordinating council for a person subject to Subsection
	(c-2):
	(1)  certification, registration, or license number;
	(2)  issuance date;
	(3)  method of certification, registration, or
	licensure; and
	(4)  certification, registration, or licensure status.
	(h)  The Department of Information Resources shall work with
	the health occupation regulatory agencies that are members of the
	Health Professions Council to minimize the costs to Health
	Professions Council members of obtaining the information under
	Subsections (c) and (c-1).  The Department of Information Resources
	shall provide the Health Professions Council with the appropriate
	federal information processing standards code based on the
	information in Subsections (c-1)(8) and (9).
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect March 1, 2008.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 29 passed the Senate on
	April 26, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
	the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 24, 2007, by the
	following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 29 passed the House, with
	amendment, on May 23, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 144,
	Nays 0, two present not voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	Approved:
	______________________________
	Date
	______________________________
	Governor