The Texas Medical Assocation and the Texas Senate Committee need to hear from YOU!
We have been notified that it will take a CONCERTED grass roots effort to get SB 1084 voted out of the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee to be considered by the full Senate. Since the House Public Health Committee has already elected NOT to bring HB 1716 to the House floor for a full House vote, the Senate is our best chance. There is one major obstacle standing in our way: The Texas Medical Association (TMA).The TMA is going office to office and objecting to SB 1084 on the basis of “patient safety.” Trouble is, most TMA members don’t possess sufficient knowledge about complementary and alternative health care to make an informed judgment.
The TMA is engaging in scare tactics to kill our bill, and we need to send them and the HHS committee a message that they do NOT speak for us.. Here’s how you can help:
1. Click here to download the “THFC Fax to TMA” and “THFC Fax to Senate HHS.”
2. Print out each fax, sign it, and fill in your city and zip code. Send the first fax to the TMA at the number listed. Send the second fax to each Senate HHS Committee member at their office fax number listed.
3. Be sure everyone on your e-mail list does the same. If you are a practitioner, be sure every client fills out a copy of both faxes. Please fax them for each client.
It is VERY important that you send both faxes. The TMA, sitting in their ten story office building across from the capitol, thinks of themselves as invulnerable. Let’s ensure that the TMA and the members of the Senate HHS committee hear from thousands of Texans that they are accountable to the people, not the other way around. Together, we can get SB 1084 voted out of committee.
There are several bills currently on track in the 82nd Texas Legislature. The following bills are supported by the Texas Health Freedom Coalition and we need your involvement to gain support so they get out of committee and pass the House and the Senate.
Use the “Who Represents Me” to find your State Representative and Senator. Please call and email and ask them to support these bills:
1. HB 1716: COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES. (a) In this chapter, “complementary and alternative health care services” means the broad domain of complementary and alternative healing methods, healing therapies, treatments, and services that: (1) are provided by persons who are not licensed, certified, or registered as health care practitioners or professionals by an occupational regulatory agency of this state; and (2) are not prohibited by Section 704.051. [Sections 704.004-704.050 …
and Companion Senate Bill SB 1084:
82(R) HB 1716 – Introduced version – Bill Text
2. HB 3426: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS. (a) The Texas Department of Health Professions is the primary state agency responsible for the oversight of each regulated health profession and the administration of each law governing a regulated health profession.
82(R) HB 3426 – Introduced version – Bill Text
3. HB 1013: SECTION 2. Section 152.003, Occupations Code, is amended by adding Subsections (e) and (f) to read as follows: (e) A person may not be a member of the board if the member is not in full compliance with Section 572.051, Government Code. REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN COMPLAINTS. (a) In this section: (1) “Anonymous complaint” means a complaint that lacks sufficient information to identify the source or the name of the person who filed the complaint.
82(R) HB 1013 – Introduced version – Bill Text
4. SB 1360: Relating to the treatment of tick-borne diseases.
Excerpt: (a) The board may not investigate or discipline a physician based solely on the physician’s treatment of a patient’s tick-borne disease if the physician has: (1) personally performed, in good faith, a medical examination of the patient; (2) informed the patient in writing of the patient’s treatment options and the known risks of each option; and (3) obtained informed written consent for the treatment option chosen by the patient.
82(R) SB 1360 – Introduced version – Bill Text
Who are We?
We are a group of professional organizations, grass roots groups, natural products manufacturers and concerned citizens who have banded together to promote health freedom of choice in Texas. We are delighted you have decided to visit our site.
You may not have heard of us before, but in 2005, 2007 and 2009 we played a crucial role in protecting Texas consumer access to the services of complementary and alternative health practitioners, and natural products retailers and manufacturers, in this state. We need your help if we are to continue to protect those rights in the future.
Our member organizations include a total of approximately 50,000 people now directly represented in the Coalition. We have a demonstrated network reach of over one third of a million Texans, as measured by e-mail, phone, fax and letter totals to the Texas legislature in 2005/2007.
Our member organizations are:
Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin (AOMA) Alumni Association (Oct. 2007)
Certified Natural Health Professionals (CNHP)
Certified Nutritionists (CN)
Citizens’ Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Texas
Coalition for Natural Health (CNH, Washington, DC)
Families for Expanding Autism Treatment of Austin (FEAT – Austin)
- - Over 500 Austin Families of Children with Autism
Juice Plus Independent Distributors of Texas
International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists (IAACN)
National Health Freedom Coalition/Action (Minneapolis, MN)
Organic Consumers’ Association of Texas
Natural Products Association, Southwest Region (formerly NNFA)
Nature’s Sunshine Independent Distributors (Texas)
Standard Process Corp.
Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation
Texas Health Freedom Steering Committee
Texans for Medical Freedom
Trinity College of Natural Health (NDs, CNCs, MHs)
Pastoral Medicine Association
Again, welcome to our site. We appreciate your interest in preserving and protecting health freedom of choice in Texas!
