| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote No; Amend | Negative | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
Relating to sunset review of the Texas Commission of
Licensing and Regulation and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
and the transfer of the regulation of podiatry to the Texas Department of
Licensing and Regulation; authorizing a reduction in fees.
This bill would extend the sunset date of the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation to 2021.
This bill would transfer the regulation of podiatry to the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation and change the board to the Podiatric Medical Examiners Advisory Board. The governor would appoint the members and any replacements to fill a vacancy that occurs during the six year terms of the members of the advisory board. The executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation would administer and enforce regulations of podiatry under the chapter.
The bill would also require an applicant for a license or license renewal (if they have not already done so) to submit a full set of fingerprints for a criminal background check. The licenses would be valid for one or two years as determined by commission rule, and the applicant would have to pay a renewal fee.
A podiatrist would be required to review a patient’s prescription history before prescribing them opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or carisoprodol, and the department would be required to periodically check prescribing information to see if a podiatrist is engaged in potentially harmful prescribing patterns or practices, and notify the podiatrist of the patterns or practices that are potentially harmful and allow the department to initiate a complaint against a podiatrist for those practices.