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Relating to the Texas Physician Assistant Board and the licensing and regulation of physician assistants.
This bill would make various changes to the licensing requirements for physician assistants, including the requirement that they submit a full set of fingerprints for a criminal background check for issuance and renewal. The bill would allow licences to be valid for a term of up to two years at the discretion of the Texas Physician Assistant Board.
This bill would prohibit the suspension, termination, or discipline of a physician assistant for refusing to engage in an act that would violate a rule in the chapter or constitutes grounds for reporting the physician assistant to the board. If a medical peer review board determines that the act is not grounds for reporting and does not violate the chapter, a person disciplining the physician assistant for their refusal would not be in violation of the section.
This bill promotes individual liberty by providing protections to physician assistants that refuse to perform acts that violate rules or would constitute a continuing threat to the health and safety of the public. The bill would also allow for longer licensing periods.
However this bill would also violate our free market and limited government principles by increasing requirements for licensure of a physician assistant and subjecting them to fingerprint-based background checks.
Due to these conflicting principles, we will remain neutral on SB 1625.
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