By McDonald                                           H.B. No. 1222
       74R5401 JMM-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the regulation of certain nursing practices.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Article 4525a, Revised Statutes, is amended by
    1-5  adding Section 1B to read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 1B.  (a)  A professional nursing educational program or
    1-7  a registered nurse who has reasonable cause to believe that the
    1-8  ability of a nursing student to perform the duties of the nursing
    1-9  profession is or is likely to be impaired by chemical dependency
   1-10  shall report in a signed, written report to the board the identity
   1-11  of the nursing student and any additional information required by
   1-12  the board.
   1-13        (b)  A registered nurse required to make a report under
   1-14  Subsection (a) of this section may report the nursing student to
   1-15  the professional nursing educational program in which the student
   1-16  is enrolled in lieu of making the report to the board.
   1-17        (c)  In this section, "professional nursing educational
   1-18  program" means an educational program accredited by the board that
   1-19  is intended to lead to the initial licensing of a student as a
   1-20  registered nurse on the completion of the program by the student.
   1-21        SECTION 2.  Subsection (a), Article 4527d, Revised Statutes,
   1-22  is amended to read as follows:
   1-23        (a)  The board may impose an administrative penalty against a
   1-24  person licensed or regulated under this chapter <article> who
    2-1  violates this chapter <article> or a rule or order adopted under
    2-2  this chapter <article>.
    2-3        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-4  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-5  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-6  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-7  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-8  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-9  passage, and it is so enacted.