Amend HB 546 (house committee printing) to read as follows:
(1)  On page 2, strike lines 11 through 20 and substitute the following:
"professional nursing program" means an educational program that:
(1)  is offered by:
(A)  a public or private institution of higher education; or
(B)  a nonprofit, tax-exempt, regionally accredited college or university operating in accordance with a memorandum of understanding with this state under an executive order issued by the governor; and
(2)  either:
(A)  prepares [for preparing] students to attain [for] initial licensure as registered nurses; or
(B)  leads students, including registered nurses holding an associate or comparable degree, to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
(2)  On page 2, line 21, strike "Section 61.96232(a), Education Code, is" and substitute "Sections 61.96232(a) and (b), Education Code, are".
(3)  On page 3, strike lines 5 and 6 and substitute the following:
additional students or graduate additional students in a program that:
(1)  prepares students [prepared] for initial licensure as registered nurses; or
(2)  leads students, including registered nurses holding an associate or comparable degree, to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
(b)  The process established under Subsection (a) may authorize the commissioner of higher education to accept a joint application from multiple institutions that agree to cooperate on a regional or joint basis for their professional nursing programs to enroll additional students or graduate additional students described by Subsection (a) [prepared for initial licensure as registered nurses].
(4)  On page 4, on both lines 19 and 20, between "employed" and "full-time", insert "part-time or".
(5)  On page 4, line 26, strike "Section 61.9823(a), Education Code, is" and substitute "Sections 61.9823(a) and (b), Education Code, are".
(6)  On page 5, line 3, between "of" and "full-time", insert "part-time or".
(7)  On page 5, between lines 6 and 7, insert the following:
(b)  The board by rule shall determine the maximum amount of loan repayment assistance received by a nurse under this subchapter [may not exceed $7,000] in any one year. The board shall base the amount of loan repayment assistance received by a nurse for part-time employment on the proportion of the number of hours worked by the nurse to the number of hours worked by a full-time nurse.
(8)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ____.  Section 61.9622, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 61.9622.  PROGRAM. A professional nursing shortage reduction program is established to increase the number and types of registered nurses in order to meet the needs for registered nurses in this state. The board shall administer the professional nursing shortage reduction program to make grants for those purposes to professional nursing programs and other entities involved with those programs [a professional nursing program in the preparation of students for initial licensure as registered nurses in order to increase the number and types of registered nurses to meet the needs for registered nurses in the state].
SECTION ____.  Section 61.9623(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a)  A grant from the professional nursing shortage reduction program to a professional nursing program or other entity described by Section 61.9622 [involved with a professional nursing program in the preparation of students for initial licensure as registered nurses] must be:
(1)  expended exclusively on costs related to:
(A)  enrolling additional students;
(B)  nursing faculty enhancement in accordance with Section 61.96231;
(C)  encouraging innovation in the recruitment and retention of students, including the recruitment and retention of Spanish-speaking and bilingual students; or
(D)  identifying, developing, or implementing innovative methods to make the most effective use of limited professional nursing program faculty, instructional or clinical space, and other resources, including:
(i)  sharing curriculum and administrative or instructional personnel, facilities, and responsibilities between two or more professional nursing programs located in the same region of this state; and
(ii)  using preceptors or part-time faculty to provide clinical instruction in order to address the need for qualified faculty to accommodate increased student enrollment in the professional nursing program;
(2)  contingent on the professional nursing program's having been approved as a professional nursing program by the board or the Texas Board of Nursing, as appropriate;
(3)  contingent on the professional nursing program's not being on probation with the Texas Board of Nursing or other accrediting body; and
(4)  if granted to increase enrollments, contingent on the professional nursing program's ability to enroll additional students, including having the necessary classroom space and clinical slots.
SECTION ____.  Section 61.9626(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a)  Each institution of higher education that has a professional nursing program shall submit an annual report to the board detailing its strategy for increasing the number of students who [that] graduate from the program prepared to attain initial [for] licensure as registered nurses or who earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing. The report must include:
(1)  the capacity of the program, either alone or in cooperation with one or more other programs, to graduate more students who are prepared to attain initial [for] licensure or who earn a bachelor of science degree as described by this subsection [as registered nurses]; and
(2)  the resources allocated to increase the number of students who [that] graduate from the program prepared to attain initial [for] licensure or who earn a bachelor of science degree as described by this subsection [as registered nurses].
SECTION ____.  Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, Education Code, as amended by this Act, applies beginning with loan repayment assistance awarded under that subchapter for the 2022-2023 academic year. Loan repayment assistance awarded under Subchapter JJ, Chapter 61, Education Code, for an academic year before the 2022-2023 academic year is governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.