Honorable Myra Crownover, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2696 by Howard (Relating to a grant program for and a study on reducing workplace violence against nurses.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2696, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2017.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2016
$0
2017
$0
2018
$0
2019
$0
2020
$0
Fiscal Year
Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2016
$309,000
($309,000)
2017
$309,000
($309,000)
2018
$309,000
($309,000)
2019
$309,000
($309,000)
2020
$309,000
($309,000)
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend Chapter 105 of the Health and Safety Code to require that the nursing resource section (Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies (TCNWS)) of the Health Provisions Resource Center at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) conduct a study and publish results on workplace violence against nurses in certain facilities by December 1, 2016. The bill would require that TCNWS cooperate with DSHS and the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) to conduct the study.
The bill would also establish a new grant program to fund innovative approaches to reducing workplace violence against nurses. DSHS would be required to provide administrative support to TCNWS for the program. The bill would authorize a transfer of funds from BON to DSHS for the study and the grant program. TCNWS would be required to publish an annual report on expenditures and outcomes related to the program.
Methodology
The TCNWS is currently supported by a $2 license renewal surcharge assessed by the Board of Nursing on licensed vocational nurse (LVN) renewals and a $3 surcharge on registered nurse (RN) renewals. This estimate assumes that the study and grant program would be funded by an increase in the surcharge to the maximum allowed by statute: from $2 to $3 per LVN renewal and from $3 to $5 per RN renewal. BON estimates that 49,000 LVN and 130,000 RN licenses will be renewed in fiscal year 2016. The total increase in revenue to the state would be $309,000 (49,000 x $1 LVNs + 130,000 x $2 RNs).
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
507 Texas Board of Nursing, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 529 Health and Human Services Commission