| 1 | 1 | | 89R9552 KRM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cook S.B. No. 1766 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to a study by the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce |
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| 10 | 10 | | Studies nursing advisory committee on school nurse staffing. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section, "advisory committee" means |
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| 13 | 13 | | the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies nursing advisory |
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| 14 | 14 | | committee established under Section 104.0155, Health and Safety |
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| 15 | 15 | | Code. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) The advisory committee shall conduct a study to: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) research school nurse salary rates and determine |
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| 18 | 18 | | what constitutes a competitive salary rate; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) determine whether it is appropriate to pay |
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| 20 | 20 | | full-time school nurses in a manner and an amount comparable to the |
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| 21 | 21 | | salary of a full-time teacher; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) evaluate the number of school campuses in this |
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| 23 | 23 | | state operating without a school nurse present during instructional |
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| 24 | 24 | | hours; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) assess whether it is possible to recruit school |
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| 26 | 26 | | nurses directly from institutions of higher education; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (5) assess the benefits of ensuring a school nurse is |
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| 28 | 28 | | available during all instructional hours; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (6) estimate the potential costs to school districts |
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| 30 | 30 | | of requiring each district to employ at least one full-time school |
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| 31 | 31 | | nurse at each district campus; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (7) recommend strategies to include school nurses in |
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| 33 | 33 | | other campus operations, including behavioral threat assessment |
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| 34 | 34 | | teams and school health advisory councils; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (8) consider current practices adopted by school |
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| 36 | 36 | | districts in this state and recommend best practices to enhance |
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| 37 | 37 | | school nurse recruitment and retention; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (9) recommend any other means of providing |
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| 39 | 39 | | administrative support to school nurses. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) Not later than December 1, 2026, the advisory committee |
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| 41 | 41 | | shall prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, |
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| 42 | 42 | | the speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the |
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| 43 | 43 | | legislature a written report containing the results of the study |
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| 44 | 44 | | and any recommendations for legislative or other action. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This Act expires September 1, 2027. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 47 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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