BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2980

By: Howard

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

High demand for limited clinical space has been reported to be a significant barrier to increasing the rate at which Texas can train nurses. Although nursing programs have incorporated simulation labs to supplement student clinical experiences, hands-on clinical education is still an integral component of graduate nursing education. C.S.H.B. 2980 seeks to address this issue by establishing a grant program administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to fund innovative approaches for increasing the availability of such training space.  

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2980 amends the Education Code to authorize the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to award graduate nursing education grants under the professional nursing shortage reduction program to public institutions of higher education with a graduate professional nursing program to fund innovative approaches for increasing the availability of clinical education practice sites for graduate nurses. The bill requires the coordinating board to require an institution that receives such a grant to submit periodic reports describing the outcomes of grant-funded activities.

C.S.H.B. 2980 authorizes the legislature to appropriate money for purposes of the grants and authorizes the coordinating board to use for those purposes funds appropriated for the professional nursing shortage reduction program and certain funds returned to the coordinating board under that program. The bill requires the coordinating board to adopt rules for the administration of the bill's provisions and, not later than November 1 of each even-numbered year, to submit to the legislature a report regarding the outcomes of the activities funded through the grants.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2980 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute makes the following changes:

· clarifies that the recipients of the grants are public institutions of higher education with graduate professional nursing programs;

· specifically authorizes legislative appropriations for the bill's purposes;

· includes requirements for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules for the administration of the grants and to submit a certain biennial report to the legislature; and

· changes the bill's effective date provision.