Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2059 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Hinojosa, Blanco, West S.B. No. 2059
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to grant programs established to support nursing education
7	7	and training.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
10	10	Subchapter Z-1 to read as follows:
11	11	SUBCHAPTER Z-1. GRANT PROGRAMS SUPPORTING NURSING EDUCATION AND
12	12	TRAINING
13	13	Sec. 61.9641. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
14	14	(1) "Clinical site" means an acute care or
15	15	rehabilitation facility, a primary care setting, a long-term care
16	16	facility, a nursing home, a residential care setting, or any other
17	17	site identified by the board as providing clinical learning
18	18	experiences for nursing students.
19	19	(2) "Nursing advisory committee" means the nursing
20	20	advisory committee established under Section 104.0155, Health and
21	21	Safety Code.
22	22	Sec. 61.9642. CLINICAL SITE NURSE PRECEPTOR GRANT PROGRAM.
23	23	(a) The board, in consultation with the nursing advisory
24	24	committee, shall establish and administer a program to award grants
25	25	to eligible clinical sites to support the use of nurse preceptors in
26	26	providing clinical training to nursing students.
27	27	(b) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a
28	28	clinical site must:
29	29	(1) provide clinical training to nursing students
30	30	through the use of one or more nurse preceptors;
31	31	(2) comply with any clinical site requirements
32	32	established by the board; and
33	33	(3) comply with any other requirements adopted by
34	34	board rule.
35	35	Sec. 61.9643. CLINICAL SITE INNOVATION AND COORDINATION
36	36	PROGRAM. The board shall establish and administer a program to
37	37	award grants to eligible clinical sites that create and operate
38	38	innovative pilot programs that will support nursing performed at
39	39	clinical sites in this state by increasing the number of nurses,
40	40	improving the working environment for nurses, improving the
41	41	retention of nurses, addressing workplace safety, and coordinating
42	42	with other clinical sites any solutions found to address common
43	43	nursing concerns.
44	44	Sec. 61.9644. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: PART-TIME
45	45	POSITIONS. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing
46	46	faculty grant program to eligible institutions of higher education
47	47	to provide funding for qualified nursing staff working at clinical
48	48	sites who serve as part-time nursing faculty at those institutions.
49	49	(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be
50	50	awarded must be based on the total number of nursing staff serving
51	51	as part-time faculty in institutions of higher education throughout
52	52	the state in the year for which the grant is awarded.
53	53	(c) A grant received under this section must be expended to
54	54	support the applicable nursing faculty positions, including the
55	55	faculty stipend.
56	56	(d) An institution of higher education must certify in the
57	57	grant application the number of unfilled faculty positions to which
58	58	the application applies and, after a grant is awarded, must certify
59	59	which of those positions have been filled before receipt of the
60	60	grant funds.
61	61	(e) The board shall prescribe the dates for the submission
62	62	of applications and the award of grants under this section to ensure
63	63	that a grant recipient has sufficient time to prepare for receipt
64	64	and effective use of the grant funds before the academic period for
65	65	which the grant is awarded.
66	66	(f) Grant amounts are awarded under this section for two
67	67	consecutive state fiscal years. The board may distribute a grant
68	68	amount for nursing faculty only on receiving the certification from
69	69	the institution of higher education that the applicable nurse
70	70	faculty position has been filled. For each first-year nursing
71	71	faculty position for which a clinical site receives an initial
72	72	grant amount in a state fiscal year, the board shall make available
73	73	an equal grant amount for the subsequent state fiscal year
74	74	contingent on filling the part-time nursing faculty positions
75	75	funded by the grant in that second year.
76	76	Sec. 61.9645. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: CLINICAL
77	77	TRAINING. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing faculty
78	78	grant program to eligible clinical sites to provide funding for
79	79	qualified nursing faculty of institutions of higher education who
80	80	seek to obtain additional clinical training by working part-time at
81	81	a clinical site.
82	82	(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be
83	83	awarded must be based on the total number of nursing faculty in
84	84	institutions of higher education throughout the state in the year
85	85	for which the grant is awarded.
86	86	Sec. 61.9646. FUNDS. (a) In consultation with the nursing
87	87	advisory committee, the board shall allocate funds appropriated for
88	88	purposes of this subchapter and any other funds received as
89	89	described by Subsection (b) as the board considers appropriate to
90	90	further the purposes of this subchapter.
91	91	(b) In addition to money appropriated by the legislature,
92	92	the board may solicit, accept, and spend gifts, grants, and
93	93	donations from any public or private source for the purposes of the
94	94	grant programs established under this subchapter.
95	95	Sec. 61.9647. RULES. In consultation with the nursing
96	96	advisory committee, the board shall adopt rules for the
97	97	administration of the grant programs established under this
98	98	subchapter. The rules must include:
99	99	(1) administrative provisions relating to the
100	100	awarding of grants under this subchapter, such as:
101	101	(A) eligibility criteria for clinical sites or
102	102	institutions of higher education, as applicable;
103	103	(B) grant application procedures;
104	104	(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
105	105	(D) procedures for evaluating grant
106	106	applications; and
107	107	(E) procedures for monitoring the use of grants;
108	108	and
109	109	(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants
110	110	that:
111	111	(A) use data reasonably available to the board or
112	112	the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies; and
113	113	(B) evaluate transferability and scalability of
114	114	innovation programs.
115	115	SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
116	116	date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
117	117	shall adopt rules for the implementation and administration of the
118	118	grant programs required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education
119	119	Code, as added by this Act. The board may adopt the initial rules in
120	120	the manner provided by law for emergency rules.
121	121	(b) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Texas Higher
122	122	Education Coordinating Board shall establish the grant programs
123	123	required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by
124	124	this Act, and shall begin to award grants under those programs not
125	125	later than January 1, 2024.
126	126	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
127	127	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
128	128	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
129	129	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
130	130	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.