Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3930 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R8965 MM-F
2	2	By: Bryant H.B. No. 3930
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to grant programs established to support nursing education
8	8	and training.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Subchapter Z-1 to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER Z-1. GRANT PROGRAMS SUPPORTING NURSING EDUCATION AND
13	13	TRAINING
14	14	Sec. 61.9641. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15	15	(1) "Clinical site" means an acute care or
16	16	rehabilitation facility, a primary care setting, a long-term care
17	17	facility, a nursing home, a residential care setting, or any other
18	18	site identified by the board as providing clinical learning
19	19	experiences for nursing students.
20	20	(2) "Nursing advisory committee" means the nursing
21	21	advisory committee established under Section 104.0155, Health and
22	22	Safety Code.
23	23	Sec. 61.9642. CLINICAL SITE NURSE PRECEPTOR GRANT PROGRAM.
24	24	(a) The board, in consultation with the nursing advisory
25	25	committee, shall establish and administer a program to award grants
26	26	to eligible clinical sites to support the use of nurse preceptors in
27	27	providing clinical training to nursing students.
28	28	(b) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a
29	29	clinical site must:
30	30	(1) provide clinical training to nursing students
31	31	through the use of one or more nurse preceptors;
32	32	(2) comply with any clinical site requirements
33	33	established by the board; and
34	34	(3) comply with any other requirements adopted by
35	35	board rule.
36	36	Sec. 61.9643. CLINICAL SITE INNOVATION AND COORDINATION
37	37	PROGRAM. The board shall establish and administer a program to
38	38	award grants to eligible clinical sites that create and operate
39	39	innovative pilot programs that will support nursing performed at
40	40	clinical sites in this state by increasing the number of nurses,
41	41	improving the working environment for nurses, improving the
42	42	retention of nurses, addressing workplace safety, and coordinating
43	43	with other clinical sites any solutions found to address common
44	44	nursing concerns.
45	45	Sec. 61.9644. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: PART-TIME
46	46	POSITIONS. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing
47	47	faculty grant program to eligible institutions of higher education
48	48	to provide funding for qualified nursing staff working at clinical
49	49	sites who serve as part-time nursing faculty at those institutions.
50	50	(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be
51	51	awarded must be based on the total number of nursing staff serving
52	52	as part-time faculty in institutions of higher education throughout
53	53	the state in the year for which the grant is awarded.
54	54	(c) A grant received under this section must be expended to
55	55	support the applicable nursing faculty positions, including the
56	56	faculty stipend.
57	57	(d) An institution of higher education must certify in the
58	58	grant application the number of unfilled faculty positions to which
59	59	the application applies and, after a grant is awarded, must certify
60	60	which of those positions have been filled before receipt of the
61	61	grant funds.
62	62	(e) The board shall prescribe the dates for the submission
63	63	of applications and the award of grants under this section to ensure
64	64	that a grant recipient has sufficient time to prepare for receipt
65	65	and effective use of the grant funds before the academic period for
66	66	which the grant is awarded.
67	67	(f) Grant amounts are awarded under this section for two
68	68	consecutive state fiscal years. The board may distribute a grant
69	69	amount for nursing faculty only on receiving the certification from
70	70	the institution of higher education that the applicable nurse
71	71	faculty position has been filled. For each first-year nursing
72	72	faculty position for which a clinical site receives an initial
73	73	grant amount in a state fiscal year, the board shall make available
74	74	an equal grant amount for the subsequent state fiscal year
75	75	contingent on filling the part-time nursing faculty positions
76	76	funded by the grant in that second year.
77	77	Sec. 61.9645. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: CLINICAL
78	78	TRAINING. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing faculty
79	79	grant program to eligible clinical sites to provide funding for
80	80	qualified nursing faculty of institutions of higher education who
81	81	seek to obtain additional clinical training by working part-time at
82	82	a clinical site.
83	83	(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be
84	84	awarded must be based on the total number of nursing faculty in
85	85	institutions of higher education throughout the state in the year
86	86	for which the grant is awarded.
87	87	Sec. 61.9646. FUNDS. (a) In consultation with the nursing
88	88	advisory committee, the board shall allocate funds appropriated for
89	89	purposes of this subchapter and any other funds received as
90	90	described by Subsection (b) as the board considers appropriate to
91	91	further the purposes of this subchapter.
92	92	(b) In addition to money appropriated by the legislature,
93	93	the board may solicit, accept, and spend gifts, grants, and
94	94	donations from any public or private source for the purposes of the
95	95	grant programs established under this subchapter.
96	96	Sec. 61.9647. RULES. In consultation with the nursing
97	97	advisory committee, the board shall adopt rules for the
98	98	administration of the grant programs established under this
99	99	subchapter. The rules must include:
100	100	(1) administrative provisions relating to the
101	101	awarding of grants under this subchapter, such as:
102	102	(A) eligibility criteria for clinical sites or
103	103	institutions of higher education, as applicable;
104	104	(B) grant application procedures;
105	105	(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
106	106	(D) procedures for evaluating grant
107	107	applications; and
108	108	(E) procedures for monitoring the use of grants;
109	109	and
110	110	(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants
111	111	that:
112	112	(A) use data reasonably available to the board or
113	113	the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies; and
114	114	(B) evaluate transferability and scalability of
115	115	innovation programs.
116	116	SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
117	117	date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
118	118	shall adopt rules for the implementation and administration of the
119	119	grant programs required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education
120	120	Code, as added by this Act. The board may adopt the initial rules in
121	121	the manner provided by law for emergency rules.
122	122	(b) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Texas Higher
123	123	Education Coordinating Board shall establish the grant programs
124	124	required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by
125	125	this Act, and shall begin to award grants under those programs not
126	126	later than January 1, 2024.
127	127	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
128	128	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
129	129	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
130	130	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
131	131	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.