Amend CSHB 3801 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  (a) The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies shall establish and oversee a workgroup to assess the feasibility of better aligning the certification and career pathways of nurse aides, medication aides, personal care technicians, and persons trained in nursing during service in the United States armed forces into the nursing profession.

(b)  The workgroup must include:

(1)  the executive head of each of the following entities, or that person's designated representative:

(A)  the Texas Board of Nursing;

(B)  the Health and Human Services Commission;

(C)  the Texas Workforce Commission;

(D)  the Texas Education Agency; and

(E)  the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and

(2)  relevant academic or health care professionals.

(c)  In conducting the assessment under this section, the workgroup shall consider and evaluate:

(1)  the standards, regulations, and laws currently impacting the nursing profession; and

(2)  the feasibility of alignment in licensure and certification requirements for nurse aides, medication aides, personal care technicians, and persons trained in nursing during service in the United States armed forces to minimize duplicative efforts in the educational pathways in nursing.

(d)  Not later than December 1, 2026, the workgroup established under this section shall submit a report summarizing the results of the assessment conducted under this section to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over nursing.

(e)  This section expires January 1, 2027.