HB4186 - Relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain physicians employed as county medical examiners.

  89R14997 CMO-F     By: McLaughlin H.B. No. 4186       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain   physicians employed as county medical examiners.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 61.532, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:           (a-1)     A physician employed as a forensic pathologist is   eligible to receive repayment assistance under this subchapter to   the same extent as a physician who qualifies for repayment   assistance under Subsection (a), if the physician:                 (1)     satisfies the requirements of Subsections (a)(1)   and (2); and                 (2)     enters into a written agreement with the board to   complete four consecutive years of practice as a forensic   pathologist employed as a county medical examiner in a county   located within 100 kilometers of the Rio Grande River.          SECTION 2.  Section 61.533, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows:           (c)     Repayment assistance grants paid in relation to   services described by Section 61.532(a-1) are limited to 10   physicians.   In selecting physicians to receive repayment   assistance under this subsection, the board shall prioritize   physicians employed as a county medical examiner serving counties   with the highest demand for forensic pathologist services based on:                 (1)     the relative scarcity of forensic pathologists in   the county; and                 (2)     the average caseload of the county medical   examiner.           (d)     A physician employed as a forensic pathologist who   enters into an agreement with the board under Section   61.532(a-1)(2) shall reimburse the board for the amount of any   repayment assistance received by the physician under this   subchapter if the physician fails to complete the consecutive years   of practice required by that section. The board by rule may provide   an exception to the reimbursement required under this subsection in   the event of a hardship or for other good cause shown by a   physician.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.