CHAPTER 552. TEXAS STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY

OCCUPATIONS CODE

TITLE 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONS

SUBTITLE J. PHARMACY AND PHARMACISTS

CHAPTER 552. TEXAS STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY

Sec. 552.001. MEMBERSHIP. (a) The Texas State Board of

Pharmacy consists of nine members appointed by the governor with

the advice and consent of the senate as follows:

(1) six members who are pharmacists; and

(2) three members who represent the public.

(b) Appointments to the board shall be made without regard to

the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national

origin of the appointee.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.002. QUALIFICATIONS. (a) The board must include

representation for pharmacists who are primarily employed in

Class A pharmacies and Class C pharmacies.

(b) A pharmacist board member must, at the time of appointment:

(1) be a resident of this state;

(2) have been licensed for the five years preceding appointment;

(3) be in good standing to practice pharmacy in this state; and

(4) be practicing pharmacy in this state.

(c) Each person appointed to the board shall, not later than the

15th day after the date of appointment, qualify by taking the

constitutional oath of office.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.003. PUBLIC MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY. A person is not

eligible for appointment as a public member of the board if the

person or the person's spouse:

(1) is registered, certified, or licensed by an occupational

regulatory agency in the field of health care;

(2) is employed by or participates in the management of a

business entity or other organization regulated by or receiving

funds from the board;

(3) owns or controls, directly or indirectly, more than a 10

percent interest in a business entity or other organization

regulated by or receiving funds from the board; or

(4) uses or receives a substantial amount of tangible goods,

services, or funds from the board, other than compensation or

reimbursement authorized by law for board membership, attendance,

or expenses.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.004. MEMBERSHIP RESTRICTIONS. (a) A person may not be

a member of the board if the person is required to register as a

lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government Code, because of the

person's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession

related to the operation of the board.

(b) A person may not be a member of the board if:

(1) the person is an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a

Texas trade association in the field of health care; or

(2) the person's spouse is an officer, manager, or paid

consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of health

care.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1345, Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 552.005. TERMS; VACANCY. (a) Members of the board are

appointed for staggered six-year terms. The terms of three

members expire every other year at midnight on the last day of

the state fiscal year in the last year of the member's term.

(b) If a vacancy occurs during a member's term, the governor

shall appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired term.

(c) A board member may not serve more than two consecutive full

terms. The completion of the unexpired portion of a full term is

not service for a full term for purposes of this subsection.

(d) A person appointed by the governor to a full term before the

expiration of the term of the member being succeeded becomes a

member of the board on the first day of the next state fiscal

year following the appointment.

(e) A person appointed to an unexpired portion of a full term

becomes a member of the board on the day after the date of

appointment.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.006. BOARD MEMBER TRAINING. (a) A person who is

appointed to and qualifies for office as a member of the board

may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance

at a meeting of the board until the person completes a training

program that complies with this section.

(b) The training program must provide the person with

information regarding:

(1) this subtitle and the programs, functions, rules, and budget

of the board;

(2) the results of the most recent formal audit of the board;

(3) the requirements of laws relating to open meetings, public

information, administrative procedure, and conflicts of interest;

and

(4) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the board or the

Texas Ethics Commission.

(c) A person appointed to the board is entitled to

reimbursement, as provided by the General Appropriations Act, for

the travel expenses incurred in attending the training program

regardless of whether the attendance at the program occurs before

or after the person qualifies for office.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1345, Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 552.007. OFFICERS. (a) The governor shall designate a

member of the board as the president of the board to serve in

that capacity at the pleasure of the governor. The board shall

elect from its members for one-year terms a vice president,

treasurer, and other officers the board considers appropriate and

necessary to conduct board business.

(b) The board's president shall preside at each board meeting

and is responsible for the performance of the board's duties and

functions under this subtitle.

(c) An officer, other than the president, shall perform the

duties normally associated with the officer's position and other

duties assigned to the officer by the board.

(d) The term of an officer begins on the first day of the state

fiscal year following the officer's election and ends on election

of a successor.

(e) A member elected as an officer may not serve more than two

consecutive full terms in each office to which the member is

elected.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1345, Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 552.008. GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL. (a) It is a ground for

removal from the board that a member:

(1) does not have at the time of appointment the qualifications

required for appointment to the board;

(2) does not maintain during service on the board the

qualifications required for appointment to the board;

(3) violates a prohibition established by Section 552.004;

(4) cannot, because of illness or disability, discharge the

member's duties for a substantial part of the member's term; or

(5) is absent from more than half of the regularly scheduled

board meetings the member is eligible to attend during a calendar

year, unless the absence is excused by majority vote of the

board.

(b) If the executive director has knowledge that a potential

ground for removal exists, the executive director shall notify

the president of the board of the ground. The president shall

then notify the governor that a potential ground for removal

exists.

(c) The validity of an action of the board is not affected by

the fact that the action is taken when a ground for removal of a

board member exists.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.009. PER DIEM; REIMBURSEMENT. (a) Each member of the

board is entitled to a per diem set by legislative appropriation

for each day the member engages in board business.

(b) A member is entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses as

prescribed by the General Appropriations Act.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

1345, Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2005.

Sec. 552.010. MEETINGS. (a) The board shall meet at least:

(1) once every four months to transact board business; and

(2) twice each year for the examination of applicants.

(b) The board may meet at other times at the call of the board's

president or two-thirds of the board's members.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.011. EXECUTIVE SESSION. (a) The board may, in

accordance with Chapter 551, Government Code, conduct a portion

of a board meeting in executive session.

(b) The board may conduct in executive session a deliberation

relating to discipline of a license holder. At the conclusion of

the deliberation, in open session the board shall vote and

announce the board's decision relating to the license holder.

(c) The board may conduct in executive session a disciplinary

hearing relating to a pharmacist or pharmacy student who is

impaired because of chemical abuse or mental or physical illness.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Sec. 552.012. QUORUM; VALIDITY OF BOARD ACTION. Except when a

greater number is required by this subtitle or by board rule, an

action of the board must be by a majority of a quorum.

Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.