| 1 | 1 | | 88R2211 MM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Kolkhorst, et al. S.B. No. 244 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to support for nursing-related postsecondary education |
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| 8 | 8 | | including the provision of loan repayment assistance to nursing |
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| 9 | 9 | | faculty and the provision of grants to nursing education programs. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.9822, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 61.9822. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive loan |
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| 14 | 14 | | repayment assistance under this subchapter, a nurse must: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) apply to the board; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) at the time of application for repayment |
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| 17 | 17 | | assistance have been employed part-time or full-time for at least |
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| 18 | 18 | | one year as, and be currently employed part-time or full-time as, a |
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| 19 | 19 | | faculty member of a nursing degree program at an institution of |
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| 20 | 20 | | higher education or a private or independent institution of higher |
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| 21 | 21 | | education; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) comply with any additional requirements adopted by |
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| 23 | 23 | | board rule. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Sections 61.9823(a) and (b), Education Code, are |
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| 25 | 25 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) On qualifying for loan repayment assistance under this |
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| 27 | 27 | | subchapter, a nurse may receive repayment assistance for each year |
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| 28 | 28 | | of part-time or full-time employment as a faculty member of a |
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| 29 | 29 | | nursing degree program at an institution of higher education or |
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| 30 | 30 | | private or independent institution of higher education, not to |
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| 31 | 31 | | exceed five years. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) The board by rule shall determine the maximum amount of |
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| 33 | 33 | | loan repayment assistance received by a nurse under this subchapter |
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| 34 | 34 | | [may not exceed $7,000] in any one year. The board shall base the |
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| 35 | 35 | | amount of loan repayment assistance received by a nurse for |
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| 36 | 36 | | part-time employment on the proportion of the number of hours |
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| 37 | 37 | | worked by the nurse to the number of hours worked by a full-time |
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| 38 | 38 | | nurse. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. Sections 63.202(f) and (g), Education Code, are |
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| 40 | 40 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (f) Notwithstanding the limitation provided by Subsection |
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| 42 | 42 | | (b), grants awarded under Subsection (c) for the state fiscal |
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| 43 | 43 | | biennium ending on August 31, 2025 [2021], and the fiscal biennium |
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| 44 | 44 | | ending on August 31, 2027 [2023], by the Texas Higher Education |
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| 45 | 45 | | Coordinating Board shall be awarded to programs preparing students |
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| 46 | 46 | | for initial licensure as registered nurses or programs preparing |
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| 47 | 47 | | qualified faculty members with a master's or doctoral degree for |
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| 48 | 48 | | the program, including programs at two-year institutions of higher |
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| 49 | 49 | | education, four-year general academic teaching institutions, |
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| 50 | 50 | | health science centers, and independent or private institutions of |
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| 51 | 51 | | higher education, or to the nursing resource section established |
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| 52 | 52 | | under Section 105.002(b), Health and Safety Code. In awarding |
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| 53 | 53 | | grants under this subsection, the coordinating board may: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) give priority to institutions proposing to address |
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| 55 | 55 | | the shortage of registered nurses by promoting innovation in |
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| 56 | 56 | | education, recruitment, and retention of nursing students and |
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| 57 | 57 | | qualified faculty; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (2) award grants on a competitive basis; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (3) consider the availability of matching funds; and |
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| 60 | 60 | | (4) fund a study by the nursing resource section to |
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| 61 | 61 | | evaluate the competencies of clinical judgment and behaviors that |
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| 62 | 62 | | professional nursing students should possess at the time of |
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| 63 | 63 | | graduation. |
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| 64 | 64 | | (g) Subsection (f) and this subsection expire September 1, |
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| 65 | 65 | | 2027 [2023]. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 4. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
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| 67 | 67 | | date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 68 | 68 | | shall adopt rules necessary to administer the changes in law made by |
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| 69 | 69 | | this Act. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (b) The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with |
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| 71 | 71 | | loan repayment assistance awarded under Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, |
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| 72 | 72 | | Education Code, for the 2024-2025 academic year. Loan repayment |
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| 73 | 73 | | assistance awarded under Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, Education Code, |
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| 74 | 74 | | for an academic year before the 2024-2025 academic year is governed |
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| 75 | 75 | | by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this |
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| 76 | 76 | | Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 78 | 78 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 79 | 79 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 80 | 80 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 81 | 81 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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