Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2891 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R6050 MCF-D
2	2	By: Cook S.B. No. 2891
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the Health Professions Workforce
10	10	Coordinating Council and the abolition of the statewide health
11	11	coordinating council and the nursing advisory committee of that
12	12	council.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Subtitle E, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
15	15	amended by adding Chapter 104A to read as follows:
16	16	CHAPTER 104A. HEALTH PROFESSIONS WORKFORCE COORDINATING COUNCIL
17	17	Sec. 104A.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council"
18	18	means the Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council.
19	19	Sec. 104A.002. ESTABLISHMENT; ADMINISTRATIVE ATTACHMENT.
20	20	(a) The Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council is
21	21	established to study and develop a strategic approach for ensuring
22	22	a thriving health care system and health professions workforce in
23	23	this state.
24	24	(b) The council is administratively attached to the
25	25	department. The department shall provide administrative support to
26	26	the council.
27	27	Sec. 104A.003. MEMBERSHIP. (a) The council is composed of:
28	28	(1) at least one representative appointed by each of
29	29	the following state agencies:
30	30	(A) the department;
31	31	(B) the commission;
32	32	(C) the Texas Education Agency;
33	33	(D) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
34	34	Board;
35	35	(E) the Texas Workforce Commission;
36	36	(F) the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners;
37	37	(G) the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners;
38	38	(H) the Texas Medical Board;
39	39	(I) the Texas Board of Nursing;
40	40	(J) the Texas Optometry Board;
41	41	(K) the Texas State Board of Pharmacy;
42	42	(L) the Executive Council of Physical Therapy and
43	43	Occupational Therapy Examiners;
44	44	(M) the Texas Behavioral Health Executive
45	45	Council; and
46	46	(N) the State Board of Veterinary Medical
47	47	Examiners; and
48	48	(2) four members with relevant health care experience,
49	49	including experience in health professions workforce planning or
50	50	complex health care data analysis, appointed by the governor.
51	51	(b) A council member serves at the pleasure of the
52	52	appointing authority.
53	53	(c) A vacancy on the council shall be filled in the same
54	54	manner as the original appointment.
55	55	Sec. 104A.004. DUTIES. The council shall:
56	56	(1) compile from each state agency with a
57	57	representative appointed to the council under Section
58	58	104A.003(a)(1) information regarding the health professions
59	59	workforce, including:
60	60	(A) high school graduation rates from the Texas
61	61	Education Agency;
62	62	(B) higher education graduation and
63	63	certification rates from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
64	64	Board;
65	65	(C) health professions workforce shortages;
66	66	(D) the number of licensed health care
67	67	professionals regulated by each participating licensing state
68	68	agency;
69	69	(E) federal labor statistics regarding health
70	70	professions; and
71	71	(F) any other information relevant to the supply
72	72	and demand of health care professionals;
73	73	(2) prepare the strategic plan described by Section
74	74	104A.005; and
75	75	(3) establish the work group described by Section
76	76	104A.006.
77	77	Sec. 104A.005. STRATEGIC PLAN. (a) The council shall
78	78	examine the health professions in this state based on the
79	79	information compiled under Section 104A.004(1) and biennially
80	80	prepare a health professions strategic plan. The plan must:
81	81	(1) include a data analysis model demonstrating the
82	82	supply, demand, production, and projected need for the next 10
83	83	years of the health professions workforce;
84	84	(2) define targeted goals and objectives for the
85	85	health professions workforce, including short-term and long-term
86	86	strategies for each state agency participating in the council and
87	87	local workforce planning agencies to build a thriving health care
88	88	system;
89	89	(3) identify immediate shortages in health
90	90	professions;
91	91	(4) define goals for this state to support the health
92	92	care needs of a growing population;
93	93	(5) examine this state's capacity to satisfy future
94	94	health profession demands based on the existing education programs
95	95	offered and current trends of interstate migration, attrition, and
96	96	other relevant workforce factors;
97	97	(6) propose recommendations to realign existing
98	98	workforce and education programs;
99	99	(7) propose the development of additional education
100	100	programs for health professions that align with the long-term goals
101	101	and projections identified in the plan;
102	102	(8) identify systemic causes of workforce shortages
103	103	for health professions; and
104	104	(9) inventory programs and services, including state
105	105	funding amounts provided for workforce planning and preparation and
106	106	for health professional education.
107	107	(b) Not later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, the
108	108	council shall complete and publish on the council's Internet
109	109	website the strategic plan described by Subsection (a).
110	110	Sec. 104A.006. WORK GROUP. (a) The council shall establish
111	111	a work group to examine the health professions and health care
112	112	education programs that provide a gateway into a variety of health
113	113	professions. The work group consists of members of the council or
114	114	their designees.
115	115	(b) The work group shall:
116	116	(1) identify sources for gathering information on
117	117	gateway health professions; and
118	118	(2) build a data analysis model to monitor the
119	119	historical growth of gateway health professions.
120	120	SECTION 2. Section 56.3075(a), Education Code, is amended
121	121	to read as follows:
122	122	(a) If the money available for TEXAS grants in a period for
123	123	which grants are awarded is sufficient to provide grants to all
124	124	eligible applicants in amounts specified by Section 56.307, the
125	125	coordinating board may use any excess money available for TEXAS
126	126	grants to award a grant in an amount not more than three times the
127	127	amount that may be awarded under Section 56.307 to a student who:
128	128	(1) is enrolled in a program that fulfills the
129	129	educational requirements for licensure or certification by the
130	130	state in a health care profession that the coordinating board, in
131	131	consultation with the Texas Workforce Commission and the Department
132	132	of State Health Services [statewide health coordinating council],
133	133	has identified as having a critical shortage in the number of
134	134	license holders needed in this state;
135	135	(2) has completed at least one-half of the work toward
136	136	a degree or certificate that fulfills the educational requirement
137	137	for licensure or certification; and
138	138	(3) meets all the requirements to receive a grant
139	139	award under Section 56.307.
140	140	SECTION 3. Section 56.4075(a), Education Code, is amended
141	141	to read as follows:
142	142	(a) The coordinating board may award a grant in an amount
143	143	not more than three times the amount that may be awarded under
144	144	Section 56.407 to a student who:
145	145	(1) is enrolled in a program that fulfills the
146	146	educational requirements for licensure or certification by the
147	147	state in a health care profession that the coordinating board, in
148	148	consultation with the Texas Workforce Commission and the Department
149	149	of State Health Services [statewide health coordinating council],
150	150	has identified as having a critical shortage in the number of
151	151	license holders needed in this state;
152	152	(2) has completed at least one-half of the work toward
153	153	a degree or certificate that fulfills the educational requirement
154	154	for licensure or certification; and
155	155	(3) meets all the requirements to receive a grant
156	156	award under Section 56.407.
157	157	SECTION 4. Section 61.9641, Education Code, is amended to
158	158	read as follows:
159	159	Sec. 61.9641. DEFINITION [DEFINITIONS]. In this
160	160	subchapter, "clinical [:
161	161	[(1) "Clinical] site" means an acute care or
162	162	rehabilitation facility, a primary care setting, a long-term care
163	163	facility, a nursing home, a residential care setting, or any other
164	164	site identified by the board as providing clinical learning
165	165	experiences for nursing students.
166	166	[(2) "Nursing advisory committee" means the nursing
167	167	advisory committee established under Section 104.0155, Health and
168	168	Safety Code.]
169	169	SECTION 5. Section 61.9642(a), Education Code, is amended
170	170	to read as follows:
171	171	(a) The board[, in consultation with the nursing advisory
172	172	committee,] shall establish and administer a program to award
173	173	grants to eligible clinical sites to support the use of nurse
174	174	preceptors in providing clinical training to nursing students.
175	175	SECTION 6. Section 61.9646(a), Education Code, is amended
176	176	to read as follows:
177	177	(a) The [In consultation with the nursing advisory
178	178	committee, the] board shall allocate funds appropriated for
179	179	purposes of this subchapter and any other funds received as
180	180	described by Subsection (b) as the board considers appropriate to
181	181	further the purposes of this subchapter.
182	182	SECTION 7. Section 61.9647, Education Code, is amended to
183	183	read as follows:
184	184	Sec. 61.9647. RULES. The [In consultation with the nursing
185	185	advisory committee, the] board shall adopt rules for the
186	186	administration of the grant programs established under this
187	187	subchapter. The rules must include:
188	188	(1) administrative provisions relating to the
189	189	awarding of grants under this subchapter, such as:
190	190	(A) eligibility criteria for clinical sites or
191	191	institutions of higher education, as applicable;
192	192	(B) grant application procedures;
193	193	(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
194	194	(D) procedures for evaluating grant
195	195	applications; and
196	196	(E) procedures for monitoring the use of grants;
197	197	and
198	198	(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants
199	199	that:
200	200	(A) use data reasonably available to the board or
201	201	the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies; and
202	202	(B) evaluate transferability and scalability of
203	203	innovation programs.
204	204	SECTION 8. Sections 32.046(c) and (d), Health and Safety
205	205	Code, are amended to read as follows:
206	206	(c) The commission shall coordinate with the department,
207	207	[the statewide health coordinating council,] the office of mental
208	208	health coordination, and the statewide behavioral health
209	209	coordinating council in developing the strategic plan.
210	210	(d) The commission, in consultation with the department,
211	211	[the statewide health coordinating council,] the office of mental
212	212	health coordination, and the statewide behavioral health
213	213	coordinating council, shall annually review and update, as
214	214	necessary, the strategic plan.
215	215	SECTION 9. Sections 32.047(d) and (e), Health and Safety
216	216	Code, are amended to read as follows:
217	217	(d) The commission shall coordinate with the department
218	218	[and the statewide health coordinating council] in the development
219	219	of the strategic plan.
220	220	(e) The commission, in consultation with the department
221	221	[and the statewide health coordinating council], shall annually
222	222	review the strategic plan and update the plan as necessary.
223	223	SECTION 10. Section 105.001(2), Health and Safety Code, is
224	224	amended to read as follows:
225	225	(2) "Council" means the Health Professions Workforce
226	226	Coordinating Council [statewide health coordinating council].
227	227	SECTION 11. Section 105.002(b), Health and Safety Code, is
228	228	amended to read as follows:
229	229	(b) To [In conjunction with the committee formed under
230	230	Section 104.0155, to] avoid duplication of effort, and to the
231	231	extent funding is available through fees collected under Section
232	232	301.155(c), Occupations Code, the council shall establish a nursing
233	233	resource section within the center for the collection and analysis
234	234	of educational and employment trends for nurses in this state.
235	235	SECTION 12. Section 222.022(2), Health and Safety Code, is
236	236	amended to read as follows:
237	237	(2) "Health care facility" means a public or private
238	238	hospital, skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility,
239	239	ambulatory surgical center, family planning clinic that performs
240	240	ambulatory surgical procedures, rural or urban health initiative
241	241	clinic, end stage renal disease facility, and inpatient
242	242	rehabilitation facility. The term does not include the office of
243	243	physicians or practitioners of the healing arts practicing
244	244	individually or in groups or [has the meaning assigned by Section
245	245	104.002, except that the term does not include] a chemical
246	246	dependency treatment facility licensed by the Department of State
247	247	Health Services under Chapter 464.
248	248	SECTION 13. The following provisions of the Health and
249	249	Safety Code are repealed:
250	250	(1) Chapter 104;
251	251	(2) Section 105.011(c); and
252	252	(3) Section 311.033(d).
253	253	SECTION 14. (a) On the effective date of this Act, the
254	254	following are abolished:
255	255	(1) the statewide health coordinating council
256	256	established under Subchapter B, Chapter 104, Health and Safety
257	257	Code, and the council member terms expire; and
258	258	(2) the nursing advisory committee established under
259	259	Section 104.0155, Health and Safety Code, and the committee member
260	260	terms expire.
261	261	(b) On the effective date of this Act, any appropriation to
262	262	and any unexpended, unobligated funds of the statewide health
263	263	coordinating council or the nursing advisory committee is an
264	264	appropriation to the Department of State Health Services for
265	265	purposes of establishing and providing administrative support to
266	266	the Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council. The
267	267	department and council assume all obligations, property, rights,
268	268	and duties of the statewide health coordinating council and the
269	269	nursing advisory committee.
270	270	SECTION 15. (a) Not later than October 1, 2025, the
271	271	appropriate entities shall designate members of the Health
272	272	Professions Workforce Coordinating Council established under
273	273	Chapter 104A, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
274	274	(b) Not later than October 1, 2026, the Health Professions
275	275	Workforce Coordinating Council established under Chapter 104A,
276	276	Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, shall publish its
277	277	initial strategic plan as required by Section 104A.005, Health and
278	278	Safety Code, as added by this Act.
279	279	SECTION 16. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.