| 1 | 1 | | 89R6069 AND-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hancock S.B. No. 1815 |
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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 the transition of the nurse aide certification program |
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| 10 | 10 | | from the Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Board of |
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| 11 | 11 | | Nursing and the creation of a workgroup on nursing career pathways. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. NURSE AIDE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) The Texas |
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| 14 | 14 | | Board of Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall |
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| 15 | 15 | | jointly develop an operational plan for transitioning the nurse |
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| 16 | 16 | | aide certification program from the Health and Human Services |
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| 17 | 17 | | Commission to the Texas Board of Nursing. The study must include |
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| 18 | 18 | | all financial, operational, and other relevant considerations |
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| 19 | 19 | | necessary for the transition. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) Not later than December 1, 2026, the Texas Board of |
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| 21 | 21 | | Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall submit |
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| 22 | 22 | | the plan developed under this section to the governor, the |
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| 23 | 23 | | lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, |
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| 24 | 24 | | and each standing committee of the legislature with primary |
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| 25 | 25 | | jurisdiction over nursing. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. NURSING CAREER PATHWAYS. (a) The Texas Center |
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| 27 | 27 | | for Nursing Workforce Studies shall establish and oversee a |
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| 28 | 28 | | workgroup to assess the feasibility of better aligning the |
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| 29 | 29 | | certification and career pathways of nurse aides, medication aides, |
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| 30 | 30 | | and personal care technicians into the nursing profession. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) The workgroup must include: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) the executive head of each of the following |
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| 33 | 33 | | entities, or that person's designated representative: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (A) the Texas Board of Nursing; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (B) the Health and Human Services Commission; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (C) the Texas Workforce Commission; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (D) the Texas Education Agency; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (E) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 39 | 39 | | Board; and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) relevant academic or health care professionals. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) In conducting the assessment under this section, the |
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| 42 | 42 | | workgroup shall consider and evaluate: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) the standards, regulations, and laws currently |
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| 44 | 44 | | impacting the nursing profession; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) the feasibility of alignment in certification |
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| 46 | 46 | | requirements for nurse aides, medication aides, and personal care |
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| 47 | 47 | | technicians to minimize duplicative efforts in the educational |
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| 48 | 48 | | pathways in nursing; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) the present and future impact of new business |
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| 50 | 50 | | practices and advancing technologies in health care. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (d) Not later than December 1, 2026, the workgroup |
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| 52 | 52 | | established under this section shall submit a report summarizing |
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| 53 | 53 | | the results of the assessment conducted under this section to the |
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| 54 | 54 | | governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of |
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| 55 | 55 | | representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature |
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| 56 | 56 | | with primary jurisdiction over nursing. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2027. |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 59 | 59 | | 1, 2025. |
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