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By Joshua Massingill & Kaden Norton (Statecraft, LLC) The Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate adjourned Texas’ 88th Regular Legislative Session sine die (Latin for “without a day” – just the Legislature’s fancy way of saying the session is over) on May 29th. But… the 88th Legislature’s first (likely of several) Special Session is already underway. Before we explain, let’s take a look at the amazing session TCA had… Three of TCA’s legislative priorities passed both chambers have either been signed by the Governor or are awaiting his signature. ♦SB 2171 by Sen. Carol Alvarado (Houston) and Rep. Yvonne Davis (Dallas) will allow chiropractors to serve as expert witnesses on the question of causation in chiropractic malpractice lawsuits. The bill has been signed by Governor Abbott and becomes law on September 1, 2023. ♦HB 1002 by Rep. Four Price (Amarillo) and Sen. Charles Perry (Lubbock) passed both legislative chambers and is on the Governor’s desk. Once signed by the Governor, the bill will add chiropractors to school districts’ concussion oversight teams – adding to the safety of Texas student-athletes. ♦SB 1122 by Sen. Charles Schwertner (Georgetown) and Rep. Chris Turner (Arlington) also passed and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill exempts Designated Doctor examinations from sales taxes to prevent an additional burden from being placed on Designated Doctors. The following TCA legislative priorities made great progress through in the Legislature, but unfortunately failed to reach final passage: ♦SB 161 by Sen. Charles Perry (Lubbock) and Rep. Donna Howard (Austin) would have reformed how health licensing boards handle complaints against providers licensed by other boards. It passed unanimously in the Senate but died in the House. ♦HB 895 by Rep. Sergio Muñoz (Mission) and Sen. Charles Schwertner (Georgetown) would have prohibited the use of extrapolation in post-payment insurance claims audits. It passed in the House but died in the Senate. ♦HB 2702 by Rep. Ryan Guillen (Rio Grande City) and Sen. Jose Menendez (San Antonio) would have increased Designated Doctor compensation to account for inflation since the last time the fees were set (2003 for most). The bill passed the House and made it to the Senate floor, where it died when the Senate didn’t call it for a vote on the last day it could be acted upon. Fortunately, rulemaking is underway at the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation to address this issue, and TCA has been heavily involved. While we’re disappointed all of TCA’s legislative goals weren’t achieved, we’re really pleased with what was accomplished and the progress that was made. We’d be remiss if we didn’t share our appreciation for TCA’s Legislative Committee members who spent countless hours strategizing about these issues over the two-year cycle leading up to and including the legislative session. Additionally, we’d like to share a special thanks to the doctors that took time away from their practices to testify before the Legislature and visit with legislators about the foregoing bills’ impacts on their patients. And finally, thank you to all the doctors and students who attended TCA’s Legislative Day – the impact of that day is greater than you know. Now, shifting gears to the first Special Session that is already underway. The Governor has the authority to call the Legislature into session on specific items. For this first Special Session, Governor Abbott has tasked the Legislature with tackling property tax relief and increasing penalties for criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or operation of a stash house. Governor Abbott is expected to call several special sessions over the next few months concerning specific items. We’re not currently anticipating any special session issues concerning chiropractic, but we’ll continue to monitor the special session calls and provide updates or calls to action, where necessary. As always, it is an honor to represent you at the Capitol.