Bill Text: TX HB3930 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to grant programs established to support nursing education and training.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-04-24 - Left pending in committee [HB3930 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB3930-Introduced.html
88R8965 MM-F | ||
By: Bryant | H.B. No. 3930 |
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relating to grant programs established to support nursing education | ||
and training. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter Z-1 to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER Z-1. GRANT PROGRAMS SUPPORTING NURSING EDUCATION AND | ||
TRAINING | ||
Sec. 61.9641. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Clinical site" means an acute care or | ||
rehabilitation facility, a primary care setting, a long-term care | ||
facility, a nursing home, a residential care setting, or any other | ||
site identified by the board as providing clinical learning | ||
experiences for nursing students. | ||
(2) "Nursing advisory committee" means the nursing | ||
advisory committee established under Section 104.0155, Health and | ||
Safety Code. | ||
Sec. 61.9642. CLINICAL SITE NURSE PRECEPTOR GRANT PROGRAM. | ||
(a) The board, in consultation with the nursing advisory | ||
committee, shall establish and administer a program to award grants | ||
to eligible clinical sites to support the use of nurse preceptors in | ||
providing clinical training to nursing students. | ||
(b) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a | ||
clinical site must: | ||
(1) provide clinical training to nursing students | ||
through the use of one or more nurse preceptors; | ||
(2) comply with any clinical site requirements | ||
established by the board; and | ||
(3) comply with any other requirements adopted by | ||
board rule. | ||
Sec. 61.9643. CLINICAL SITE INNOVATION AND COORDINATION | ||
PROGRAM. The board shall establish and administer a program to | ||
award grants to eligible clinical sites that create and operate | ||
innovative pilot programs that will support nursing performed at | ||
clinical sites in this state by increasing the number of nurses, | ||
improving the working environment for nurses, improving the | ||
retention of nurses, addressing workplace safety, and coordinating | ||
with other clinical sites any solutions found to address common | ||
nursing concerns. | ||
Sec. 61.9644. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: PART-TIME | ||
POSITIONS. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing | ||
faculty grant program to eligible institutions of higher education | ||
to provide funding for qualified nursing staff working at clinical | ||
sites who serve as part-time nursing faculty at those institutions. | ||
(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be | ||
awarded must be based on the total number of nursing staff serving | ||
as part-time faculty in institutions of higher education throughout | ||
the state in the year for which the grant is awarded. | ||
(c) A grant received under this section must be expended to | ||
support the applicable nursing faculty positions, including the | ||
faculty stipend. | ||
(d) An institution of higher education must certify in the | ||
grant application the number of unfilled faculty positions to which | ||
the application applies and, after a grant is awarded, must certify | ||
which of those positions have been filled before receipt of the | ||
grant funds. | ||
(e) The board shall prescribe the dates for the submission | ||
of applications and the award of grants under this section to ensure | ||
that a grant recipient has sufficient time to prepare for receipt | ||
and effective use of the grant funds before the academic period for | ||
which the grant is awarded. | ||
(f) Grant amounts are awarded under this section for two | ||
consecutive state fiscal years. The board may distribute a grant | ||
amount for nursing faculty only on receiving the certification from | ||
the institution of higher education that the applicable nurse | ||
faculty position has been filled. For each first-year nursing | ||
faculty position for which a clinical site receives an initial | ||
grant amount in a state fiscal year, the board shall make available | ||
an equal grant amount for the subsequent state fiscal year | ||
contingent on filling the part-time nursing faculty positions | ||
funded by the grant in that second year. | ||
Sec. 61.9645. NURSING FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM: CLINICAL | ||
TRAINING. (a) The board shall award grants under a nursing faculty | ||
grant program to eligible clinical sites to provide funding for | ||
qualified nursing faculty of institutions of higher education who | ||
seek to obtain additional clinical training by working part-time at | ||
a clinical site. | ||
(b) The amount of a grant and the number of grants to be | ||
awarded must be based on the total number of nursing faculty in | ||
institutions of higher education throughout the state in the year | ||
for which the grant is awarded. | ||
Sec. 61.9646. FUNDS. (a) In consultation with the nursing | ||
advisory committee, the board shall allocate funds appropriated for | ||
purposes of this subchapter and any other funds received as | ||
described by Subsection (b) as the board considers appropriate to | ||
further the purposes of this subchapter. | ||
(b) In addition to money appropriated by the legislature, | ||
the board may solicit, accept, and spend gifts, grants, and | ||
donations from any public or private source for the purposes of the | ||
grant programs established under this subchapter. | ||
Sec. 61.9647. RULES. In consultation with the nursing | ||
advisory committee, the board shall adopt rules for the | ||
administration of the grant programs established under this | ||
subchapter. The rules must include: | ||
(1) administrative provisions relating to the | ||
awarding of grants under this subchapter, such as: | ||
(A) eligibility criteria for clinical sites or | ||
institutions of higher education, as applicable; | ||
(B) grant application procedures; | ||
(C) guidelines relating to grant amounts; | ||
(D) procedures for evaluating grant | ||
applications; and | ||
(E) procedures for monitoring the use of grants; | ||
and | ||
(2) methods for tracking the effectiveness of grants | ||
that: | ||
(A) use data reasonably available to the board or | ||
the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies; and | ||
(B) evaluate transferability and scalability of | ||
innovation programs. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective | ||
date of this Act, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
shall adopt rules for the implementation and administration of the | ||
grant programs required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education | ||
Code, as added by this Act. The board may adopt the initial rules in | ||
the manner provided by law for emergency rules. | ||
(b) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board shall establish the grant programs | ||
required by Subchapter Z-1, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by | ||
this Act, and shall begin to award grants under those programs not | ||
later than January 1, 2024. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |