Req. No. 41 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) SENATE BILL 755 By: Garvin AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to the practice of nursing; a mending 59 O.S. 2021, Section 567.4 , which relates to the Oklahoma Board of Nursing ; modifying membership of the Board; modifying, adding, and removing qualifications for membership ; modifying appointing authorities of members; modifying certain limitation on appointees; removing obs olete language; allowing members to be removed without cause; mo difying requirements for quorum; removing certain qualification of Executive Director; updating statutory language; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021, Section 567.4, is amended to read as follows: Section 567.4. A. 1. The Oklahoma Board of Nursing is here by established in the State of Oklahoma. The Board shall consist of eleven (11) members who shall be citizens of the United St ates of America, and residents of Oklahoma this state, for at least the previous three (3) years. Six 2. Three of the members shall be Registered Nurses , none of whom are Advanced Practice Registered Nur ses, and shall be in good Req. No. 41 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 standing under the provis ions of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, currently engaged in the practice of nursing as a Registered Nurse and shall have had no less than five (5) years of experience as a Registered Nurse. At least two of the Registered Nurs es shall be from the field of nursing education, actively associated with a recognized school of nursing in Oklahoma, and who hold an organizational role o f administration/management and who are accountable for strategic, operation al and/or performance out comes. At least two of the Registered Nurses who hold an organizational role of administration/management and who are accountable for strategic, operation al and/or performance outcomes shall represent nursing service. At least on e of the Registered Nurse s shall be currently engaged in the practice of nursing as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Each Registered Nurse member shall be appointed by the Governor. One of the Registered Nurse members shall possess an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Registered Nurse diploma and shall not possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). One of the Registered Nurse members shall be appointed from a county with a population of less than forty thousand (40,000) . 3. Three of the members shall be Licensed Practical Nurses in good standing under the provisions of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act and currently engaged in t he practice of practical nursing as a Licensed Practical Nurse and shall have had no less than five (5) years of experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse. One of the Req. No. 41 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 licensed nurses must be employed in the field of long -term care. One of the licensed nur ses shall be employed in the area of a cute care Each Licensed Practical Nurse member shall be appointed by the Governor. Two of the Licensed Practical Nurse members shall be appointed from a county with a pop ulation of less than forty thousand (40,000). 4. One of the members shall be a licen sed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in good standing under the provisions of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, currently en gaged in the practice of nursing as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and shall have had no less than five (5) years of exper ience as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. The Advanced Practice Regis tered Nurse member shall be appointed by the Govern or. 5. Two members shall represent the public and shall be eligible voters of this state, knowledgeable in consumer hea lth concerns, and shall neither be nor ever have been associated with the provision o f health care, nor be enrolled in any health -related educational program. The public members shall be appointed by the Governor to serve coterminously with the Governor. At least one Registered Nurse Board member, one Licensed Practical Nurse Board membe r and one public Board member One of the public mem bers shall be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. One of the public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Req. No. 41 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Representatives from a county with a population of less than forty thousand (40,000). 6. Two members shall rep resent a healthcare profession other than nursing or licensed practical nursing including , but not limited to, a healthcare provider field or the healthcare administration field. One of the members representing a healthcare profession other than nursing or licensed practical nursing shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives . One of the members representing a healthcare profession other than nursing or licensed practical nursing shall be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from a county with a population of less than forty thousand (40,000). B. For the purpose of nominating, appointing or re appointing members to the Board, this state shall be divided into eight geographical districts, consisting of counties within t he districts as follows: District No. 1 Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woods, Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Ellis, Woodward, Major, Garf ield, Noble, Dewey, Blaine, Kingfisher and Logan; District No. 2 Roger Mills, Custer, Beckham, Washita, Caddo, Greer, Kiowa, Harmon, Jackson, Comanche, Tillman and Cotton; District No. 3 Canadian, Grady, McClain, Garvin, Stephens, Murray, Jefferson, Carter and Love; Req. No. 41 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 District No. 4 Oklahoma; District No. 5 Lincoln, Okfuskee, Clevel and, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Hughes, Pontotoc, Coal , Johnston, Marshall and Bryan; District No. 6 Creek and Tulsa; District No. 7 Osage, Washington, Nowata, Craig, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers, Mayes and Delaware; and District No. 8 Wagoner, Cherokee, Ada ir, Okmulgee, Muskogee, Sequoyah, McIntosh, Haskell , Leflore, Pittsburg, Latimer, Atoka, Pushmataha, McCurtain and Choctaw. Not more than one Registered Nurse and one Licensed Prac tical Nurse and one public member shall be appointed from any one geographical district. C. The Governor shall appoint one of the Registered Nurse Board members from a list of names submitted by the Oklahoma Nurses Association and Oklahoma chapters of nat ionally recognized Registered Nurse organizations. The Governor shall appoi nt one of the Licensed Practical Nurse Board members from a list of names submitted by the Oklahoma chapters of nationally recognized nursing organizations. Individuals who are me mbers of the Oklahoma Board of Nursing prior to September 1, 1991, shall be allowed to fulfill their terms and be eligible for reappointment. D. The Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse Req. No. 41 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 C. All Board members shall be appointed for terms of five ( 5) years. Members shall serve at the pleasure of their ap pointing authorities and may be removed without cause . Upon the death, resignation, or removal of any member, a list from the aforementioned organizations shall be sub mitted to the Governor who the appointing authority shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy . 1. In addition to the grounds for removal by the Governor of members appointed to the Boar d provided in Section 2 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes, it is a ground for removal if a member: a. does not have at the time of appointment the qualifications required b y subsection A of this section, b. is not employed in nursing for a period of twe lve (12) consecutive months during the term for which the member was appointed, c. is absent from more than half of the regularly scheduled Board meetings that the member is e ligible to attend during a calendar year, unless th e absence is excused by a majo rity vote of the Board, or d. cannot discharge the duties as a Board member for a substantial portion of the term for which the member is appointed because of illness or disab ility. Req. No. 41 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. The validity of an action of the Board i s not affected by the fact that it is taken when a ground for removal of a Board member exists. 3. If the president of the Board has knowledge that a potential ground for removal exists, the president sha ll then notify the Governor that a potential ground for removal exists. E. D. A quorum shall be a majority of the Board which must include at least three two Registered Nurses, not including the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Member, and one two Licensed Practical Nurse Nurses. F. E. The members of the Board shall annually elect from their number a president, vice -president and a secretary who shall also be the treasurer, and other such officers as necessary to conduct the business of the Board. It s hall hold six regular business meetings during each calendar year. Special meetings may be called by the president or secretary with five (5) days ’ notice to each member of the Board. The Board shall have a seal; it shall make and adopt all necessary rules not inconsistent with the laws of this state, th e United States, or with the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act; and it shall perform the duties and transact the busi ness required under the provisions of the act Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act . The Board shall cause to be kept a record of a ll meetings of the Board and give notice of all meetings in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and the Open Meeting Act. A list of a ll persons duly Req. No. 41 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 licensed and qualified under this act the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act shall be maintained by the Board. Each member of the Board shall receive, in addition to actual and necessary travel expenses as provided in the State Travel Reimburse ment Act, compensation of One Hundred Dollars ($ 100.00) for each regular sch eduled monthly meeting attended, not to exceed more than six meetings per year. All monies received by the Board shall be held by the treasurer of the Board for meeting the expens es of the Board and for the promotion of nursing education, to employ an att orney to assist the Board and other state and count y officials in carrying out the provisions of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, and such other purposes which the Board may dete rmine, and shall be disbursed as directed by the Board. The Board is author ized to adopt and revise rules, not inconsistent wi th the provisions of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, as may be necessary to enable it to carry into effect the provisions of the act, including rules establishing fees, charges and reimbursement costs. The Board shall appoint and employ a qualified person, who shall be a Registered Nurse to serve as Executive Director, and shall fix the compensation, notwithstanding any other provision of law including Section 3601.2 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes , in an amount not in excess of the maximum salary proposed for the Oklahoma Board of Nursing and set forth in the most recent Compensation Report prepared by or for the Office of Req. No. 41 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Management and Enterprise Services, require a sa tisfactory bond, and define the duties of the Executive Director to include: 1. The authority and responsibility for the operations and administration of the agency and such additional powers and duties as prescribed by the Board. As chief executive of t he Board, the Executive Director shall manage all aspects of the agency, includ ing personnel, financial and other resources, in support of the Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act, its rules and policies, and the Bo ard’s mission and strategic plan; 2. The authority to accept orders as set forth in paragraph 3 of this subsection on behalf o f the Board and where ratification by the Board is not required. The Executive Director shall report summaries of dispositions t o the Board at its regular meetings; 3. a. Orders orders issued under Section 2 of this act, b. Agreed agreed disciplinary orders requiring an applicant or licensee to enter and comply with the Peer Assistance Program, c. Agreed agreed disciplinary orders for the reinstatement or endorsement of a license/certificate/recog nition when the applicant has practiced without an active Oklahoma license/certificate/recogni tion, and d. Agreed agreed disciplinary orders for the voluntary surrender of a license/certification/recognition. Req. No. 41 Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2023 . 59-1-41 DC 1/18/2023 5:33:59 PM