Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1401 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: West S.B. No. 1401
2		-	(Dean)
3	2
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7	6		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	7		AN ACT
9	8		relating to the creation of the Texas Mental Health Profession
10	9		Pipeline Program by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
11	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	11		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
13	12		amended by adding Section 61.070 to read as follows:
14	13		Sec. 61.070. TEXAS MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION PIPELINE
15	14		PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "participating institution" means a
16	15		general academic teaching institution or a private or independent
17	16		institution of higher education that offers baccalaureate degree
18	17		programs and postbaccalaureate degree and certificate programs.
19	18		(b) The board shall establish the Texas Mental Health
20	19		Profession Pipeline Program and encourage participating
21	20		institutions to develop pipeline programs for the purpose of
22	21		providing a clear, guided pathway for public junior college
23	22		students to transfer to a participating institution to pursue a
24	23		baccalaureate degree or a postbaccalaureate degree or certificate
25	24		leading to licensure and practice as:
26	25		(1) a psychologist, as defined by Section 501.002,
27	26		Occupations Code;
28	27		(2) a licensed professional counselor, as defined by
29	28		Section 503.002, Occupations Code;
30	29		(3) an advanced practice registered nurse, as defined
31	30		by Section 301.152, Occupations Code, who holds a nationally
32	31		recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental health
33	32		nursing;
34	33		(4) a licensed master social worker or a licensed
35	34		clinical social worker, as defined by Section 505.002, Occupations
36	35		Code;
37	36		(5) a licensed specialist in school psychology, as
38	37		defined by Section 501.002, Occupations Code; or
39	38		(6) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as
40	39		defined by Section 502.002, Occupations Code.
41	40		(c) A participating institution that develops a pipeline
42	41		program under Subsection (b) shall:
43	42		(1) partner with one or more public junior colleges to
44	43		create a guided pathway for public junior college students; and
45	44		(2) ensure that a public junior college student who
46	45		completes a field of study curriculum or is awarded a "Texas Direct"
47	46		associate degree under Section 61.834 and transfers to the
48	47		participating institution:
49	48		(A) does not lose any credits earned before
50	49		transferring;
51	50		(B) can earn a baccalaureate degree in less than
52	51		two years following the transfer; and
53	52		(C) after earning a baccalaureate degree in an
54	53		appropriate program as determined by the participating
55	54		institution, is automatically admitted to a postbaccalaureate
56	55		degree or certificate program at the participating institution if:
57	56		(i) the student meets the minimum academic
58	57		requirements, as determined by the participating institution; and
59	58		(ii) the postbaccalaureate degree or
60	59		certificate program has the capacity to admit new students based
61	60		on:
62	61		(a) student-to-faculty ratios
63	62		required by state law, federal law, the appropriate accrediting
64	63		organization, or institutional policy; and
65	64		(b) the availability of clinical
66	65		placements and the faculty or preceptors that supervise those
67	66		placements.
68	67		(d) The board shall determine:
69	68		(1) the existing field of study curricula that a
70	69		participating institution may accept for purposes of Subsection
71	70		(c)(2); and
72	71		(2) any additional field of study curricula that a
73	72		participating institution may develop to enable a public junior
74	73		college student to fulfill the undergraduate curricular
75	74		requirements relevant for specialties described by Subsection (b).
76	75		(e) The board shall promote the program and maintain on the
77	76		board's Internet website information that clearly displays:
78	77		(1) information described by Subsection (d);
79	78		(2) a list of each pipeline program operating in this
80	79		state;
81	80		(3) a list of each participating institution that has
82	81		established a pipeline program;
83	82		(4) a map displaying the location of each
84	83		participating institution that has established a pipeline program;
85	84		and
86	85		(5) data regarding each pipeline program based on
87	86		information provided to the board under Subsection (f).
88	87		(f) Each participating institution shall submit an annual
89	88		report to the board that includes:
90	89		(1) the total number of students in the participating
91	90		institution's pipeline program;
92	91		(2) the number of students in the participating
93	92		institution's pipeline program who have transferred from a public
94	93		junior college to the participating institution without losing any
95	94		credits previously earned at the public junior college;
96	95		(3) the number of students in the participating
97	96		institution's pipeline program who in the preceding academic year
98	97		earned a baccalaureate degree from the participating institution
99	98		that was completed in two years or less;
100	99		(4) the capacity of the participating institution's
101	100		pipeline program to prepare more students for licensure and
102	101		practice as mental health professionals in specialties described by
103	102		Subsection (b);
104	103		(5) the financial resources allocated by the
105	104		participating institution to increase the number of students who
106	105		are able to complete their targeted degree or certificate program
107	106		under the participating institution's pipeline program; and
108	107		(6) the average time for a student to complete the
109	108		student's targeted degree or certificate program under the
110	109		participating institution's pipeline program from the date the
111	110		student enrolls in a public junior college to the date of the
112	111		student's graduation from the degree or certificate program.
113	112		(g) The board shall adopt rules consistent with this section
114	113		as necessary to implement this section, including rules for making
115	114		determinations under Subsection (d).
116	115		SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
117	116		shall adopt rules as required by Section 61.070(g), Education Code,
118	117		as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective
119	118		date of this Act.
120	119		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.