BILL ANALYSIS C.S.S.B. 519 By: Madla Health and Human Services 4-6-95 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Since the 69th Legislature in 1985, the Texas Legislature has been authorizing various licensing agencies to establish or approve peer assistance programs as an interim measure before taking an adverse action against a licensee who is impaired by chemical dependency or drugs or alcohol or by mental illness. These programs have proven successful. PURPOSE As proposed, C.S.S.B. 519 provides peer assistance and reporting programs for students enrolled in certain professional educational programs. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 467.001, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subdivisions (7) and (8), to define "student" and "impaired student." SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 467, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 467.0035, as follows: Sec. 467.0035. PROVISION OF SERVICES TO STUDENTS. (a) Authorizes an approved peer assistance program to provide services to impaired students. Provides that a program that elects to provide services to impaired students is not required to provide the same level of services to those students that it provides to impaired professionals. (b) Requires an approved peer assistance program that provides services to students to comply with any criteria for those services that are adopted by the appropriate licensing or disciplinary authority. SECTION 3. Amends Article 4525a, V.T.C.S., by adding Section 1B, as follows: Sec. 1B. REPORTS REGARDING NURSING STUDENTS. (a) Requires a professional nursing educational program or a registered nurse who has cause to suspect that the ability of a professional nursing student to perform the services of the nursing profession would be impaired by chemical dependency to report to the Board of Nurse Examiners (board) the identity of the student and additional information required for such a report by the board. (b) Authorizes a registered nurse required to report under this section to report the student to the professional nursing educational program in which the student is enrolled in lieu of reporting to the board. (c) Defines "professional nursing educational program" and "professional nursing student." SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 1995. SECTION 5. Emergency clause.