Bill Text: TX HB2188 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the transition of the nurse aide certification program from the Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Board of Nursing and the creation of a workgroup on nursing career pathways.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-29 - Filed [HB2188 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB2188-Introduced.html
| 89R6069 AND-D | ||
| By: Howard | H.B. No. 2188 | |
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| relating to the transition of the nurse aide certification program | ||
| from the Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Board of | ||
| Nursing and the creation of a workgroup on nursing career pathways. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. NURSE AIDE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) The Texas | ||
| Board of Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall | ||
| jointly develop an operational plan for transitioning the nurse | ||
| aide certification program from the Health and Human Services | ||
| Commission to the Texas Board of Nursing. The study must include | ||
| all financial, operational, and other relevant considerations | ||
| necessary for the transition. | ||
| (b) Not later than December 1, 2026, the Texas Board of | ||
| Nursing and the Health and Human Services Commission shall submit | ||
| the plan developed 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. | ||
| SECTION 2. NURSING CAREER PATHWAYS. (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, | ||
| and personal care technicians 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; | ||
| (2) the feasibility of alignment in certification | ||
| requirements for nurse aides, medication aides, and personal care | ||
| technicians to minimize duplicative efforts in the educational | ||
| pathways in nursing; and | ||
| (3) the present and future impact of new business | ||
| practices and advancing technologies in health care. | ||
| (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. | ||
| SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2027. | ||
| SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September | ||
| 1, 2025. | ||
