The Texas Capitol was flooded by a sea of white coats on Tuesday, Feb. 4, as physicians, medical students, and Texas Medical Association Alliance members traveled to Austin to kick off TMA’s signature biennial advocacy event, First Tuesdays at the Capitol – defending scope of practice and medical education, among other issues, along the way.
On the first Tuesday of every month during state legislative sessions, TMA members gather at the Texas Capitol to advocate directly to lawmakers on behalf of medicine. Their mission: to explain to legislators how their proposals could impact the practice of medicine in Texas – for better or for worse.
“We’re … in a fight for our lives,” TMA President G. Ray Callas, MD said at the event. “We have to do one thing, and that’s to protect the patient-physician relationship.”
This month’s First Tuesdays opened with a visit from Rep. Tom Oliverson, MD (R-Cypress). The physician-turned-legislator recalled participating in First Tuesdays himself as a TMA member and emphasized to the over 170 physicians in attendance the importance of physician involvement in policymaking.
“Your representatives know what the white coat means,” he said. “They see you as experts. They want to know what you think and what you’re seeing in your practices. The most important thing you can do is communicate your personal story.”
Texas physicians armed with information straight from TMA legislative briefings – held both that morning and, for the first time, during the Monday before the event virtual presentation – did just that as they descended upon legislators’ offices to discuss TMA’s top legislative priorities for 2025.
For example, San Antonio ophthalmologist Kenneth Maverick, MD, argued that Senate Bill 911 and House Bill 1756, which both aim to expand scope of practice to certain advanced practice registered nurses if passed, would do harm by allowing health professionals with less experience than physicians to treat patients without proper oversight.
“Patients will suffer if doctors are not leading the health care team,” he told one lawmaker. “These bills take away doctors from their patients and replace them with someone with less training and less education.”
Meanwhile, University of Incarnate Word second year medical student Tirzah Polk called for policies that would stabilize the physician workforce and increase graduate medical education funding so future physicians like her can continue to train in the state.
“We need to continue to bolster our medical students if we want to see more physicians in Texas,” she said to a legislator.
While physicians spoke to lawmakers, Tilden L. Childs III, MD, immediate past chair of TMA’s Council on Legislation, testified in a Texas Senate Finance Committee hearing to improve health care access and fund critical medical services across the state.
Despite his busy schedule, Dr. Childs still had time to praise First Tuesdays.
“If you're not here to tell your story, someone else will tell a different story,” he told Texas Medicine Today. “You can build those relationships. It’s the right place, the right time. You can make a big difference.”
This year’s remaining First Tuesdays are scheduled for March 4, April 1, and May 6. Registration is $25, with fees waived for residents and students. A special hotel room rate is available on the Monday night prior. For more information and to sign up, visit TMA’s First Tuesday webpage.
Can’t attend in person? Keep an eye out in Texas Medicine Today for registration details for the virtual legislative briefing held each Monday before the event.
Alisa Pierce
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1469