Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB841 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R2615 NC-D
2	2	By: Naishtat H.B. No. 841
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the health professions resource center; increasing a
8	8	fee.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 105.002, Health and Safety Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
12	12	(d) To the extent funding is available through fees
13	13	collected under Section 505.203(d), Occupations Code, the council
14	14	shall establish a social work resource section within the center
15	15	for the collection and analysis of educational and employment
16	16	trends for social workers in this state.
17	17	(e) If the social work resource section established under
18	18	Subsection (d) is funded from surcharges collected under Section
19	19	505.203(d), Occupations Code, the council shall provide the Texas
20	20	State Board of Social Worker Examiners with an annual accounting of
21	21	the money received from the board. The council may expend a
22	22	reasonable amount of the money to pay administrative costs of
23	23	maintaining the social work resource section.
24	24	SECTION 2. Sections 105.003(a), (c-1), (d), and (e), Health
25	25	and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows:
26	26	(a) The council shall place a high priority on collecting
27	27	and disseminating data on health professions demonstrating an acute
28	28	shortage in this state, including:
29	29	(1) data concerning nursing personnel; [and]
30	30	(2) data concerning social workers; and
31	31	(3) data concerning the health professions in which
32	32	shortages occur in rural areas and areas near the international
33	33	border.
34	34	(c-1) The Department of Information Resources, through the
35	35	state electronic Internet portal and in consultation with the
36	36	council and the Health Professions Council, shall add the following
37	37	fields on an application or renewal form for a license,
38	38	certificate, or registration for a person subject to Subsection
39	39	(c-2):
40	40	(1) date and place of birth;
41	41	(2) sex;
42	42	(3) race and ethnicity;
43	43	(4) location of high school;
44	44	(5) mailing address of primary practice;
45	45	(6) number of hours per week spent at primary practice
46	46	location;
47	47	(7) description of primary practice setting;
48	48	(8) primary practice information, including primary
49	49	specialty practice, practice location zip code, and county; [and]
50	50	(9) information regarding any additional practice,
51	51	including description of practice setting, practice location zip
52	52	code, and county; and
53	53	(10) a description of the person's language fluency.
54	54	(d) To the extent feasible, the council shall use a
55	55	researcher with a doctorate in nursing to collect, analyze, and
56	56	disseminate nursing data that may be used to predict supply and
57	57	demand for nursing personnel in this state using appropriate
58	58	federal or state supply-and-demand models. To the extent feasible,
59	59	the council shall use a researcher with a degree from a master's
60	60	social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work
61	61	Education and a doctorate in social work to collect, analyze, and
62	62	disseminate social work data that may be used to predict supply and
63	63	demand for social work personnel in this state using appropriate
64	64	federal or state supply-and-demand models. The nursing and social
65	65	work data must at least:
66	66	(1) include demographics, areas of practice, supply,
67	67	demand, and migration; and
68	68	(2) be analyzed to identify trends relating to numbers
69	69	and geographical distribution, practice setting, and area of
70	70	practice and, to the extent possible, compare those trends with
71	71	corresponding national trends.
72	72	(e) Data received under this section by the nursing resource
73	73	section or the social work resource section established under
74	74	Section 105.002 that contains information identifying specific
75	75	patients or health care facilities is confidential, is not subject
76	76	to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, and may not be
77	77	released unless all identifying information is removed.
78	78	SECTION 3. Section 105.004(b), Health and Safety Code, is
79	79	amended to read as follows:
80	80	(b) The council shall publish reports regarding the data
81	81	collected and analyzed under this chapter related to:
82	82	(1) the educational and employment trends of nursing
83	83	and social work professionals;
84	84	(2) the supply and demand of nursing and social work
85	85	professionals; and
86	86	(3) other issues, as determined necessary by the
87	87	council, concerning nursing or social work professionals in this
88	88	state.
89	89	SECTION 4. Section 505.203, Occupations Code, is amended by
90	90	adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
91	91	(d) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the
92	92	amount of the fee to renew a social worker license is increased by
93	93	$10. The board may use six cents from the amount of the surcharge
94	94	under this subsection to cover the administrative costs of
95	95	collecting and depositing the surcharge. The board quarterly shall
96	96	transmit the remainder of each surcharge to the Department of State
97	97	Health Services to be used only to fund the social work resource
98	98	section under Section 105.002, Health and Safety Code. The board is
99	99	not required to collect the surcharge if the board determines that
100	100	the money collected is not appropriated to fund the social work
101	101	resource section.
102	102	SECTION 5. Section 505.203(d), Occupations Code, as added
103	103	by this Act, applies only to a license renewed on or after the
104	104	effective date of this Act. A license renewed before the effective
105	105	date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the
106	106	license was renewed, and the former law is continued in effect for
107	107	that purpose.
108	108	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.