Texas Legislative UpdateDecember 2025
FEMC - Physician Life Support CertificationIn 2016, DSHS granted an exemption allowing board-certified emergency medicine physicians to meet Freestanding ER (FEMC) staffing requirements without separately maintaining ACLS, PALS, and ATLS certifications, recognizing that ABEM and ABOEM board certification already ensures competency. HHSC later rescinded this exemption, reinstating the requirement for all physicians to hold current ACLS, PALS, and ATLS certifications. Following stakeholder feedback, HHSC announced that it is initiating a rulemaking project to amend 26 TAC §509.45(d)(5) to potentially restore the board-certified physician exemption. While no specific timeline is available, HHSC will provide updates via GovDelivery, and TCEP will continue to engage with the agency and stakeholders to advocate for this important change. You can read the notice from HHSC here. SB 31 - Life of the Mother Act CME
The Texas Medical Board has approved the continuing medical education (CME) on Senate Bill 31 (The Life of the Mother Act), which addresses the management pregnancy-related medical emergencies. Emergency medicine physicians are required to complete this one-time course at the time of licensure application or prior to their next license renewal. To view the full list of specialties required to complete the course, click here. The course is FREE and available through MyTMB, and a certificate of completion may be downloaded upon completion.
Additional CME Requirements
2026 Texas PrimariesWith the filing deadline behind us, the candidate fields are now set for the March 3, 2026 Texas primary elections, where voters from both major parties will choose nominees for key federal, statewide, and legislative offices. Beyond the races for U.S. Senate, governor, attorney general, and comptroller, this cycle is being defined by an unusually large amount of legislative turnover. Twenty-two members of the Texas House and eight state senators are retiring or seeking other offices, creating a wave of open seats that exceeds recent cycles. While the Legislature experienced an exodus last cycle driven largely by electoral defeats, this year’s departures are primarily voluntary, with retirement accounting for most exits. In total, roughly 275 years of legislative experience will leave the Capitol, including the loss of several House and Senate committee chairs. That degree of turnover represents a major loss of institutional knowledge, procedural know-how, and political expertise that those around the Capitol caution will be hard to replace and is likely to have a meaningful impact on how the Legislature operates in the next session. View the candidate matrix here. House District 21 Highlight — Dr. Ray CallasIn Texas House District 21, Dr. Ray Callas, a Beaumont anesthesiologist, Navy veteran, and Republican candidate, has filed to run in the Republican primary for the seat being vacated by former Speaker Dade Phelan. Callas entered the race earlier in 2025 and has attracted attention with endorsements from prominent Republicans, positioning him as a key candidate in this Southeast Texas legislative district heading into 2026. In addition to his medical and miliary background, Callas also served as president of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) - the state's largest professional association representing tens of thousands of physicians.
The primaries on March 3 will determine party nominees who will then advance to the general election on November 3, 2026. |
