HOUSE AUTHOR: Truitt et al. |
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EFFECTIVE: 6-20-03 |
SENATE SPONSOR: Janek |
House Bill 3126 amends provisions of the Education Code relating to certain professional nursing education programs and student grants. The bill requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt procedures providing for the timely distribution and proper expenditure of certain funds appropriated to encourage enrollment in professional nursing programs. The bill amends the law to require certain grants to be awarded to nursing programs preparing students for initial licensure as registered nurses or preparing qualified faculty members with a master's or doctoral degree, and it authorizes the coordinating board to award additional health care profession student grants and give preference to students from underrepresented groups. House Bill 3126 amends the Health and Safety Code to change the composition of the statewide health coordinating council to include a registered nurse and to require that the representative from a junior or community college be from an institution with a nursing program. The bill requires the council to form a nursing advisory committee; to establish a nursing resource section within the comprehensive health professions resource center; to the extent feasible, to use a researcher with a doctorate in nursing to collect, analyze, and disseminate data relating to the supply of and demand for nursing personnel; and to publish reports relating to the information collected. The bill amends the Occupations Code to authorize a surcharge to certain fees established by the Board of Nurse Examiners and the Board of Vocational Nurse Examiners to implement the nursing resource section. The bill also repeals the Nurse Licensure Compact.