(A) consists of one or more hospitals in this state and one or more graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education programs in this state; and

(B) serves to increase training opportunities in emergency and trauma care for doctors and registered nurses at participating graduate medical education and graduate professional nursing programs.

(2) "Participating education program" means a graduate professional nursing program as that term is defined by Section 54.221 or a graduate medical education program leading to board certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties that participates in an emergency and trauma care education partnership.

Sec. 61.9802. PROGRAM: ESTABLISHMENT; ADMINISTRATION; PURPOSE.

(a) The Texas emergency and trauma care education partnership program is established.

(b) The board shall administer the program in accordance with this subchapter and rules adopted under this subchapter.

(c) Under the program, to the extent funds are available under Section 61.9805, the board shall make grants to emergency and trauma care education partnerships to assist those partnerships to meet the state's needs for doctors and registered nurses with training in emergency and trauma care by offering one-year or two-year fellowships to students enrolled in graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education programs through collaboration between hospitals and graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education programs and the use of the existing expertise and facilities of those hospitals and programs.

Sec. 61.9803. GRANTS: CONDITIONS; LIMITATIONS. (a) The board may make a grant under this subchapter to an emergency and trauma care education partnership only if the board determines that:

(1) the partnership will meet applicable standards for instruction and student competency for each program offered by each participating education program;

(2) each participating education program will, as a result of the partnership, enroll in the education program a sufficient number of additional students as established by the board;

(3) each hospital participating in an emergency and trauma care education partnership will provide to students enrolled in a participating education program clinical placements that:

(A) allow the students to take part in providing or to observe, as appropriate, emergency and trauma care services offered by the hospital; and

(B) meet the clinical education needs of the students; and

(4) the partnership will satisfy any other requirement established by board rule.

(b) A grant under this subchapter may be spent only on costs related to the development or operation of an emergency and trauma care education partnership that prepares a student to complete a graduate professional nursing program with a specialty focus on emergency and trauma care or earn board certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Sec. 61.9804. PRIORITY FOR FUNDING. In awarding a grant under this subchapter, the board shall give priority to an emergency and trauma care education partnership that submits a proposal that:

(1) provides for collaborative educational models between one or more participating hospitals and one or more participating education programs that have signed a memorandum of understanding or other written agreement under which the participants agree to comply with standards established by the board, including any standards the board may establish that:

(A) provide for program management that offers a centralized decision-making process allowing for inclusion of each entity participating in the partnership; and

(B) provide for access to clinical training positions for students in graduate professional nursing and graduate medical education programs that are not participating in the partnership;

(2) includes a demonstrable education model to:

(A) increase the number of students enrolled in, the number of students graduating from, and the number of faculty employed by each participating education program; and

(B) improve student or resident retention in each participating education program;

(3) indicates the availability of money to match a portion of the grant money, including matching money or in-kind services approved by the board from a hospital, private or nonprofit entity, or institution of higher education;

(4) can be replicated by other emergency and trauma care education partnerships or other graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education programs; and

(5) includes plans for sustainability of the partnership.

Sec. 61.9805. GRANTS, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit, accept, and spend grants, gifts, and donations from any public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.

Sec. 61.9806. RULES. The board shall adopt rules for the administration of the Texas emergency and trauma care education partnership program. The rules must include:

(1) provisions relating to applying for a grant under this subchapter; and

(2) standards of accountability consistent with other graduate professional nursing and graduate medical education programs to be met by any emergency and trauma care education partnership awarded a grant under this subchapter.

Sec. 61.9807. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. A reasonable amount, not to exceed three percent, of any money appropriated for purposes of this subchapter may be used to pay the costs of administering this subchapter.

SECTION ____. As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt rules for the implementation and administration of the Texas emergency and trauma care education partnership program established under Subchapter GG, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act. The board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for emergency rules.