SRC-TAG S.B. 1167 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 1167 By: Janek Education 4/1/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, Texas is facing a shortage of nurses. According to the Center for Health and Economic Policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center San at Antonio, the shortage of nurses was caused by demographic factors rather than economic factors. In the future more registered nurses, whose current average age is 45, will be reaching retirement age at the same time the elderly population is increasing, causing an increasing demand for health care and nursing services. As proposed, S.B. 1167 provides measures designed to support continued enrollment increases in nursing schools. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 61.923(a), Education Code, to delete text requiring for a grant from the professional nursing shortage reduction program to be expended on assuring the retention of an adequate number of qualified faculty, including providing faculty salaries. SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 61U, Education Code, by adding Sections 61.9235 and 61.9236, as follows: Sec. 61.9235. FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM. (a) Sets forth the purpose of this section. (b) Authorizes the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) appoint an advisory committee to advise it on the best strategies for educating, recruiting, and retaining qualified faculty members with master's or doctoral degrees. (c) Authorizes THECB, under the grant program established by this section to make grants to professional nursing programs. Requires any grants to be used by the professional nursing programs exclusively for the education, recruitment, and retention of qualified faculty members with master's or doctoral degrees including salary supplements and enhancements and release time or reduced teaching loads. Authorizes THECB, in making grants, to require matching funds from the professional nursing program or give preference in awarding grants to programs providing matching funds. Requires a grant under the grant program established by this section to be awarded only to professional nursing programs eligible to receive a grant under Section 61.923. Sec. 61.9236. HEALTH CARE WORKER TRANSITION GRANT PROGRAM. Provides that a health care worker transition grant program is established to assist health care workers who are not registered nurses to obtain the educational preparation needed for licensure as a registered nurse. Authorizes THECB, under the grant program established by this section, to make grants to professional nursing programs that collaborate with health care employers. Requires any grant to be used by such programs exclusively to assist health care workers who are not registered nurses to obtain the educational preparation required for licensure as a registered nurse. Authorizes THECB, in making the grants, to require matching funds from the collaborating health care employer and professional nursing program or to give preference in awarding grants to programs providing matching funds. Requires that grants under the grant program established by this section be awarded only to professional nursing programs eligible to receive a grant under Section 61.923. SECTION 3. Amends Chapter 61U, Education Code, by adding Sections 61.927 and 61.928, as follows: Sec. 61.927. DISBURSEMENT AND ACCOUNTING OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS. (a) Requires THECB to adopt procedures for assuring that funds appropriated by the legislature specifically to fund enrollment growth in a professional nursing program are distributed in a timely manner including the forfeiture and reallocation of funds if an institution fails to provide in a timely manner the information needed for the funds to be disbursed and that failure prevents the timely disbursement of funds to other institutions and are expended by institutions receiving the funds on the professional nursing program. (b) Requires the procedures adopted under Subsection (a) to include requiring each professional nursing program receiving funds appropriated by the legislature to fund enrollment growth to file a report annually with the board accounting for all funds received. Sec. 61.928. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. Provides that a reasonable amount of the funds appropriated by the legislature to fund the programs established under this subchapter or to increase enrollments in professional nursing programs, not to exceed five percent of the amount of such funds, may be used by THECB to pay administrative costs of implementing this subchapter or administering those appropriations. SECTION 4. Amends Sections 63.202(f) and (g), Education Code, as follows: (f) Requires the grants awarded under Subsection (c) for the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2005, and the fiscal biennium ending on August 31, 2007 rather than 2003, by THECB to be awarded to programs preparing students for initial licensure as registered nurses or programs preparing qualified faculty members with a master's or doctoral degree for such program, including programs of two-year institutions of higher education, four-year general academic teaching institutions, health science centers, and independent or private institutions of higher education, notwithstanding the limitations provided by Subsection (b). Authorizes THECB, in awarding grants under this subsection, to take certain actions. Deletes text authorizing THECB to award grants to institutions seeking to increasing enrollment in their nursing programs through financial incentives. (g) Provides that Subsection (f) and this subsection expire September 1, 2007, rather than September 1, 2003. SECTION 5. Amends Section 304.013, Occupations Code, as follows: (a) Creates new subsection from existing text. (b) Authorizes THECB and Board of Vocational Nurse Examiners (board) to add a surcharge not exceeding $10 to its license or license renewal fee to fund the center. Requires THECB and the board to adopt the surcharge in accordance with the procedures the board uses to initiate and adopt an increase in its license or license renewal fee. (c) Authorizes money collected under this section to be used only to implement this chapter. SECTION 6. Amends Chapter 56M, Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, by adding Section 56.3075, as follows: Sec. 56.3075. HEALTH CARE PROFESSION STUDENT GRANT. (a) Authorizes THECB to award a grant in an amount that is equal to not more than three times the amount that can be awarded under Section 56.307 to a student who meet certain requirements. (b) Authorizes THECB, in awarding grants under Subsection (a), to take certain factors into consideration. SECTION 7. Amends Chapter 56O, Education Code, as added by Chapter 624, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, by adding Section 56.3575, as follows: Sec. 56.3575. HEALTH CARE PROFESSION STUDENT GRANT. (a) Authorizes THECB to award a grant in an amount that is equal to not more than three times the amount that can be awarded under Section 56.357, as added by Chapter 624, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, to a student who meet certain requirements. (b) Authorizes THECB, in awarding grants under Subsection (a), to take certain factors into consideration. SECTION 8. (a) Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003. (b) Requires THECB to implement Sections 61.9235 and 61.9236, Education Code, as added by this Act, only if the legislature appropriates money for the grant programs established under those sections.