89R25484 AND-D
By: Howard H.B. No. 2188
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2188:
By: VanDeaver C.S.H.B. No. 2188
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the transition of the nurse aide certification program
from the Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Board of
Nursing and to the creation of a workgroup on nursing career
pathways and a panel on nursing program standards.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. NURSE AIDE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) The Texas
Board of Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall
jointly develop an operational plan for transitioning the nurse
aide certification program from the Health and Human Services
Commission to the Texas Board of Nursing. The study must include
all financial, operational, and other relevant considerations
necessary for the transition.
(b) Not later than December 1, 2026, the Texas Board of
Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall submit
the plan developed under this section to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
and each standing committee of the legislature with primary
jurisdiction over nursing.
SECTION 2. NURSING CAREER PATHWAYS. (a) The Texas Center
for Nursing Workforce Studies shall establish and oversee a
workgroup to assess the feasibility of better aligning the
certification and career pathways of nurse aides, medication aides,
and personal care technicians into the nursing profession.
(b) The workgroup must include:
(1) the executive head of each of the following
entities, or that person's designated representative:
(A) the Texas Board of Nursing;
(B) the Health and Human Services Commission;
(C) the Texas Workforce Commission;
(D) the Texas Education Agency; and
(E) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board; and
(2) relevant academic or health care professionals.
(c) In conducting the assessment under this section, the
workgroup shall consider and evaluate:
(1) the standards, regulations, and laws currently
impacting the nursing profession;
(2) the feasibility of alignment in certification
requirements for nurse aides, medication aides, and personal care
technicians to minimize duplicative efforts in the educational
pathways in nursing; and
(3) the present and future impact of new business
practices and advancing technologies in health care.
(d) Not later than December 1, 2026, the workgroup
established under this section shall submit a report summarizing
the results of the assessment conducted under this section to the
governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature
with primary jurisdiction over nursing.
SECTION 3. GOLD RIBBON PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF NURSING. (a)
In this section, "board" means the Texas Board of Nursing.
(b) The board, in consultation with the Texas Center for
Nursing Workforce Studies, shall oversee a gold ribbon panel to
review and examine the current nursing program standards and
educational and other accreditation requirements to identify any
changes needed to prepare for the future of the nursing profession.
The panel consists of not more than 13 members appointed by the
governor as follows:
(1) one member who is a registered nurse;
(2) one member who is a licensed vocational nurse;
(3) one member who is an advanced practice registered
nurse;
(4) three members representing nursing education
programs, with at least one representing each of the following:
(A) an associate degree program;
(B) a baccalaureate degree program; and
(C) a nursing program provided by a private
institution of higher education;
(5) three members representing hospitals, including
representation of at least three of the following:
(A) a hospital in a rural community;
(B) a hospital in an urban community;
(C) a trauma hospital;
(D) a teaching hospital; and
(E) a children's hospital; and
(6) not more than four members with relevant
experience representing alternative practice settings such as a
nursing home, a community health clinic, or at-home health.
(c) Not later than the 60th day after the date the panel is
appointed, the board shall publish on the board's Internet website
and in the Texas Register a request for written comments regarding
nursing program standards and educational and other accreditation
requirements from stakeholders in nursing programs and the nursing
profession. The board shall forward relevant comments to the
panel.
(d) The board shall assist the panel in conducting at least
three public hearings in accessible locations to obtain oral and
written comments regarding nursing program standards and
educational and other accreditation requirements. The board shall
provide notice of the hearings in the manner provided by Chapter
551, Government Code, and on the board's Internet website.
(e) The panel is a governmental body for purposes of
Chapters 551 and 552, Government Code.
(f) In conducting the review under this section, the panel
shall evaluate and consider:
(1) innovative nursing industry programs across the
United States, in the military, and in other countries;
(2) published literature regarding effective methods
for educating and regulating nurses that result in measurable
improved outcomes; and
(3) the effect on the practice of nursing of changes
in:
(A) technology that impacts the nursing
profession;
(B) the role of nurses in health practice; and
(C) nursing education, including the teaching of
soft skills and patient interaction.
(g) The board and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board shall provide administrative support to the panel.
(h) Not later than December 1, 2026, the panel shall submit
a report summarizing the results of the review under this section
and including the panel's recommendations to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
and each standing committee of the legislature with primary
jurisdiction over nursing.
SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2027.
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September
1, 2025.