The Texas legislature meets once every two years for 140 days to pass a budget, fund our state agencies and programs, and consider the legislative business of the state. At TNP, we are the only NP organization that is 100% dedicated to monitoring, advancing, and defending NP legislation and practice in Texas. Each session, we work closely with lawmakers, our nursing colleagues, and healthcare coalitions to advance policy priorities for Texas NPs and patients.
ADVOCACY
The Legislative Process in Texas
Expanding Access to Healthcare and Allowing Full and Direct Access to Texas Nurse Practitioners
The 89th Legislative Session was marked by historic progress on the conversation of full practice authority for nurse practitioners (NPs), capturing the attention and support of Senate leadership for the first time in the bill’s two-decade history.
During the last legislative session, TNP advocated for bills that would increase access to healthcare for Texans and remove barriers for the profession. TNP worked to defend against bills that would negatively impact access and NP practice. For a full recap, please see our 89th session members only publication below.
TNP’s Agenda for the 89th Legislative Session
TNP works to advance legislation to improve access to quality, accessible, cost-effective healthcare for all Texans and remove barriers to nurse practitioners. Our priority agenda items for this session are:
Expanding Access to Healthcare and Allowing Full and Direct Access to Texas Nurse Practitioners
A key component of addressing the nursing and primary care workforce in Texas is addressing the educational pipeline for nurses at every level of practice and across all specialties. TNP supports legislation to increase funding and identify new opportunities to invest in graduate nursing programs, including loan repayment assistance programs for NPs, funding for graduate nursing faculty, clinical training and preceptorships, and student scholarships.
Ensuring Adequate Prescriptive Authority for Texas Nurse Practitioners in Hospitals, Long-Term Care, and Mental Health Settings
Schedule II medications are a class of drugs to treat pain and certain mental health conditions. Texas is only one of a handful of states that does not extend Schedule II prescriptive authority to NPs, and such restrictions harm their ability to prescribe medication and treat patients with mental health conditions, cancer, chronic disease, and other illnesses in a variety of practice settings. It also prevents hospital-based NPs from being able to write discharge prescriptions for their patients following surgery or hospitalization, contributing to delays in care and discharge and increased costs for hospitals and patients.
Addressing the Workforce Pipeline and Supporting Graduate Nursing Education Funding
TNP supports legislation that would remove the requirement that NPs be in the same health insurance network as their delegating physician.Texas Senate Bill 654 (85R) eliminated this requirement for Medicaid/CHIP in 2017, but commercial plans were left out. Getting rid of this insurance barrier is necessary to keep pace with the growing numbers of NPs providing primary care in Texas and to increase network adequacy in areas with healthcare provider shortages.
Eliminating Signature Barriers for Patient Paperwork
Current law does not allow NPs to sign birth certificates, jury duty exemptions, immunization/vaccination forms, and other key healthcare forms—even though the NP might be the one performing the patient evaluation and visit for the patient. This practice means that the provider responsible for treating and evaluating the patient is not actually the provider signing the form, causing NPs and physicians to devote time to paperwork that could otherwise be spent treating patients. Removing signature barriers will increase access to care for Texans and eliminate unnecessary delays and paperwork burdens for both patients and providers.
Want to Support Our Efforts?
Share Our Patient Voices
Share our Patient Voices video about the positive impact NPs have on their patients’ lives.
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Advocate for Full NP Practice Authority
Send information to your legislators or colleagues about the benefits of full practice authority for NPs by sharing a new T.L.L. Temple Foundation report.
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Texas Women Need Access to Care
Texas is among the lowest performing states for women's health outcomes. Texas women and moms desperately need access to care, especially in our rural and underserved communities.
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Grassroots Action Center
Schedule a Legislative Visit
Interested in coming to Austin or visiting your legislator locally in the district? Contact erin@texasnp.org. You can also apply for our Legislative Ambassador vacancies.
How do I find my state legislators?
The Texas Legislature Online (TLO) Website allows Texans to identify their U.S. and State representatives.
