HB895: Medicine, Board of; changes membership requirements.

HOUSE BILL NO. 895

Offered January 8, 2014
Prefiled January 8, 2014
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 54.1-2911 and 54.1-2912 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Board of Medicine; membership.
Patron-- Stolle

Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 54.1-2911 and 54.1-2912 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 54.1-2911. Board; membership; terms of office; executive director.

The Board of Medicine shall consist of one medical physician from each congressional district, one osteopathic physician 12 allopathic or osteopathic medical physicians, one podiatrist, one chiropractor, and four nonlegislative citizen members. No two nonlegislative citizen members shall reside in the same congressional district. Citizen Nonlegislative citizen members shall have all voting and participation rights of other members. The term of office of the members of the Board shall be four years. If any medical physician member of the Board ceases to reside in the district from which he was appointed, except by reason of redistricting, his office shall be deemed vacant.

The officers of the Board shall be a president, a vice-president, and a secretary, who shall also act as treasurer, who all of whom shall be members of and selected by the Board.

Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at such times and places as prescribed by the Board. Special meetings may be held upon the call of the president and any 11 members. Twelve members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

The Board may establish an executive committee composed of the president, the vice-president, the secretary, and five other members of the Board appointed by the president. The executive committee shall include at least two nonlegislative citizen members. In the absence of the Board, the executive committee shall have full powers to take any action and conduct any business authorized by this chapter. Five members of the executive committee shall constitute a quorum. Any actions or business conducted by the executive committee shall be acted upon by the full Board as soon as practicable.

There shall be an executive director for the Board of Medicine who shall be licensed or eligible for licensure in the Commonwealth as a physician.

§ 54.1-2912. Nominations.

Nominations for appointment to the Board may be made for the allopathic or osteopathic medical physicians from a list of three names submitted to the Governor by the Medical Society of Virginia and the osteopathic physician, and podiatrist and chiropractor members, respectively, from a list of at least three names of candidates submitted by June 1 of each year by their respective state societies. The Board shall evaluate all candidates for nomination based on their individual competencies and medical specialties and shall recommend candidates for nomination to the Governor. In evaluating candidates for nomination, the Board shall consider the competencies and specialties of the current members of the Board and the need for inclusion of individuals representing specific competencies and specialties on the Board to allow the Board to fulfill its obligations. In no case shall the Governor be bound to make any appointment from among the nominees of the respective societies. The Governor may notify the society, which may make nominations, of any professional vacancy other than by expiration among the members of the Board representing the particular profession and like nominations may be made for the filling of the vacancy.