BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The current dedication of funds from the Permanent Fund for Higher Education Nursing, Allied Health, and Other Health Related Programs (one of the trust funds established by the Texas Tobacco Lawsuit Settlement) to nursing education is set to expire August 31, 2015.
H.B. 495 extends the dedication to nursing education until August 31, 2019.
H.B. 495 amends current law relating to the use of money from the permanent fund for health-related programs to provide grants to nursing education programs.
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 Sections 63.202(f) and (g), Education Code, as follows:
(f) Requires that grants, notwithstanding the limitation provided by Subsection (b), awarded under Subsection (c) for the state fiscal biennium ending on August 31, 2017, rather than August 31, 2013, and the fiscal biennium ending on August 31, 2019, rather than August 31, 2015, by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) 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 the program, including programs at two-year institutions of higher education, four-year general academic teaching institutions, health science centers, and independent or private institutions of higher education, or to the nursing resource section established under Section 105.002(b) (requiring the statewide health coordinating council to establish a nursing resource section within the health professions resource center for the collection and analysis of educational and employment trends for nurses in this state), Health and Safety Code. Authorizes THECB, in awarding grants under this subsection, to:
(1)-(4) makes no change to these subdivisions.
(g) Provides that Subsection (f) and this subsection expire September 1, 2019, rather than September 1, 2015.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2015.