1-1  By:  Madla                                             S.B. No. 519
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 9, 1995; February 13, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human
    1-4  Services; April 5, 1995, reported adversely, with favorable
    1-5  Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0;
    1-6  April 5, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-7  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 519                    By:  Madla
    1-8                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-9                                AN ACT
   1-10  relating to peer assistance and reporting programs for students
   1-11  enrolled in certain professional educational programs.
   1-12        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-13        SECTION 1.  Section 467.001, Health and Safety Code, is
   1-14  amended by adding Subdivisions (7) and (8) to read as follows:
   1-15              (7)  "Student" means an individual enrolled in an
   1-16  educational program or course of study leading to initial licensure
   1-17  as a professional as such program or course of study is defined by
   1-18  the appropriate licensing or disciplinary authority.
   1-19              (8)  "Impaired student" means a student whose ability
   1-20  to perform the services of the profession for which the student is
   1-21  preparing for licensure would be, or would reasonably be expected
   1-22  to be, impaired by chemical dependency on drugs or alcohol or by
   1-23  mental illness.
   1-24        SECTION 2.  Chapter 467, Health and Safety Code, is amended
   1-25  by adding Section 467.0035 to read as follows:
   1-26        Sec. 467.0035.  PROVISION OF SERVICES TO STUDENTS.  (a)  An
   1-27  approved peer assistance program may provide services to impaired
   1-28  students.  A program that elects to provide services to impaired
   1-29  students is not required to provide the same services to those
   1-30  students that it provides to impaired professionals.
   1-31        (b)  An approved peer assistance program that provides
   1-32  services to students shall comply with any criteria for those
   1-33  services that are adopted by the appropriate licensing or
   1-34  disciplinary authority.
   1-35        SECTION 3.  Article 4525a, Revised Statutes, is amended by
   1-36  adding Section 1B to read as follows:
   1-37        Sec. 1B.  REPORTS REGARDING NURSING STUDENTS.  (a)  A
   1-38  professional nursing educational program or a registered nurse who
   1-39  has reasonable cause to suspect that the ability of a professional
   1-40  nursing student to perform the services of the nursing profession
   1-41  would be, or would reasonably be expected to be, impaired by
   1-42  chemical dependency shall report in a signed, written report to the
   1-43  board the identity of the student and any additional information
   1-44  required for such a report by the board.
   1-45        (b)  In lieu of reporting to the board, a registered nurse
   1-46  required to report under this section may report the student to the
   1-47  professional nursing educational program in which the student is
   1-48  enrolled.
   1-49        (c)  In this section:
   1-50              (1)  "Professional nursing educational program" means a
   1-51  board-accredited educational program leading to initial licensure
   1-52  as a registered nurse.
   1-53              (2)  "Professional nursing student" means an individual
   1-54  who is enrolled in a professional nursing educational program.
   1-55        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-56        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-57  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-58  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-59  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-60  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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