89R6069 AND-D
By: Hancock S.B. No. 1815
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 the creation of a workgroup on nursing career pathways.
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. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2027.
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September
1, 2025.