82R2976 JRJ-D

By: Zerwas H.B. No. 2546

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the Texas emergency and trauma care education partnership program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter GG to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER GG. TEXAS EMERGENCY AND TRAUMA CARE EDUCATION

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Sec. 61.9801. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:

(1) "Emergency and trauma care education partnership" means a partnership that:

(A) consists of one or more hospitals in this state that are not owned, maintained, or operated by the federal or state government or an agency of the federal or state government and one or more nursing or medical education programs in this state; and

(B) serves to increase enrollment and graduation rates for doctors and registered nurses training in emergency and trauma care at participating medical and nursing education programs.

(2) "Participating education program" means an undergraduate professional nursing program or graduate professional nursing program as those terms are defined by Section 54.221 or a professional program leading to a degree required for licensure as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy 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 two-year residency fellowships to students enrolled in nursing or medical education programs with a focus in the area of family medicine through collaboration between hospitals and nursing or 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 degree granted 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) the marginal cost to the state of producing a graduate of a participating education program will be comparable, as determined under criteria established by board rule, to the marginal cost to the state of producing a comparable graduate of a nursing or medical education program not participating in a partnership;

(4) 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

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

(b) In establishing the cost-comparison criteria under Subsection (a)(3), the board shall exclude reasonable development and initial implementation costs for the infrastructure necessary to support an emergency and trauma care education partnership.

(c) 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 earn an associate or bachelor of science degree in nursing and to achieve initial licensure as a registered nurse or a professional degree leading to licensure as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy.

(d) An emergency and trauma care education partnership shall return to the board money granted to the partnership under this subchapter that the partnership does not spend on eligible costs under Subsection (c). As the board determines appropriate to best achieve the purposes of these programs, the board may:

(1) use the money to make grants to other emergency and trauma care education partnerships;

(2) use the money to make grants under the professional nursing shortage reduction program established under Subchapter Z; or

(3) transfer the money to the permanent fund for higher education nursing, allied health, and other health-related programs established under Subchapter C, Chapter 63, for use in making grants under that subchapter.

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;

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

(C) specify the details of any requirement relating to a student in a participating education program being employed after graduation in a hospital participating in the partnership, including any details relating to the employment of students who do not complete the program, are not offered a position at the hospital, or choose to pursue other employment;

(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 retention in each participating education program;

(3) indicates the availability of money to match all or a portion of the grant money, including matching money 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 nursing or 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 to be met by any emergency and trauma care education partnership awarded a grant under this subchapter.

Sec. 61.9807. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. (a) Each emergency and trauma care education partnership that receives a grant under this subchapter shall submit to the board narrative and financial reports that include information concerning the extent to which during the reporting period the partnership has complied with accountability standards established by the board.

(b) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, the board shall submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives. The report shall include a list and description of partnerships created under this subchapter and the number of new nursing and medical student enrollees.

Sec. 61.9808. 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 2. 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.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2011.