loan help for medical examiners near the Rio Grande

The text as introduced · 318 words

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.