HB 3752 establishes the Texas Southern University College of Medicine as a new academic unit within Texas Southern University, directly affecting TSU students, medical education programs, and Houston's healthcare workforce development. The bill creates governance structures under TSU's board of regents, authorizes the college to offer medical degrees, and permits affiliation agreements with other institutions for teaching and research. Key provisions include allowing the college to accept gifts/grants, secure facilities through external partnerships (including teaching hospitals), and operate without using state funds for hospital construction or maintenance. This legislation formalizes the college's creation under the Texas Education Code, advancing TSU's role in medical training.
HB 3794 updates Texas licensing rules for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists. It clarifies their scope of practice under the Occupations Code and requires certain government employee health plans to directly pay APRNs for services they provide. The bill defines key terms like "advanced practice registered nurse" and specifies that APRNs may administer medications under authorized orders, excluding medical diagnosis. This directly affects APRNs working in government health plans and changes how these plans reimburse their services.
SB 3055, the HEAL Texans Act, amends Texas law to change the regulatory limits on how many advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) a physician can work with under prescriptive authority agreements. The bill specifically modifies Section 301.002 of the Occupations Code to adjust the numerical constraints governing these agreements. This directly affects APRNs, PAs, and physicians who rely on such collaborative arrangements for prescribing medications. The key mechanism is updating the licensing and regulatory framework to redefine these practice parameters, though the exact new numerical limits are not specified in the provided text. The bill remains pending in committee as of May 2025.
HB 3801 establishes the Health Professions Workforce Coordinating Council and a separate workgroup focused on nursing career pathways, while eliminating the existing statewide health coordinating council and its nursing advisory committee. The new council, composed of agency representatives and governor-appointed members with healthcare workforce expertise, will compile data on workforce trends - including high school and higher education graduation rates - to develop strategies for a stronger healthcare system. This law directly affects Texas health agencies, educational institutions, and nursing professionals by centralizing workforce planning under the new council structure. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, replacing outdated advisory bodies with a more focused coordination mechanism.
The bill title indicates it would address licensing for foreign-trained medical professionals, but the bill text is currently unavailable in the provided context (marked "This version is not currently available"). Without access to the actual provisions, key mechanisms, or specific policy changes cannot be described. The bill was recently referred to the Public Health committee, suggesting it relates to healthcare workforce regulations. A full summary cannot be provided until the bill text is accessible.
SB 2380 creates new immunity from criminal liability for Texas health care practitioners providing services within their scope of practice. This applies to doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and others working in licensed facilities like hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. The law grants immunity for unintentional harm but explicitly excludes protection for criminal negligence, recklessness, or intentional acts. The bill would take effect September 1, 2025, unless passed with a two-thirds vote for immediate implementation.
HB 3890 modifies Texas law to restrict when physicians can delegate prescribing authority to physician assistants (PAs) or advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). It prohibits physicians from delegating drug or device prescribing to PAs or APRNs practicing in a specialty outside the physician’s training or primary practice - unless the physician has at least five years of experience in that specialty. This requirement directly affects physicians, PAs, and APRNs by adding a new condition for delegation. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and creates a clear, time-bound standard for scope-of-practice delegation.
SJR 62 proposes a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Health Care Workforce Education Fund, which would provide dedicated funding to eligible state universities (specifically comprehensive regional universities) to train health care workers. The fund would be financed through legislative appropriations, gifts/donations, and investment earnings, with annual distributions limited to 7% of the fund's average value. Funds must be allocated equitably to universities based on a legislature-established formula, with strict rules to maintain the fund's long-term purchasing power over 10-year periods. This amendment aims to directly support health care workforce development at public universities, not to create new state programs or tax changes.
HB 1942 allows health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and insurance plans to directly contract with nurse practitioners (advanced practice registered nurses) for healthcare services, without requiring their supervising physician to also be contracted. It also permits insurers to list nurse practitioners as "preferred providers" on insurance plans, even if their supervising physician isn’t designated as preferred. The bill explicitly states it doesn’t change existing laws about physician supervision of medical practice. This affects nurse practitioners seeking insurance contracts, HMOs, and insurers offering preferred provider plans. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.
SB 1487 allows health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider plans to directly contract with advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) for patient care, without requiring the physician who supervises the APRN to also be contracted with the plan. It specifically permits insurers to designate APRNs as preferred providers even if their supervising physician isn't designated. The bill removes current barriers for APRNs to serve as contracted providers in health insurance plans, expanding access to care. It does not change medical practice supervision rules, as explicitly stated in the bill text. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.
