Texas Senate Bill 1415 - Looks good!

I just received this Call to Action that was issued by the Texas Nurses Association and thought they did such a good job describing the bill that I wanted to share it:

"SB 1415 by Senator Hegar was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee yesterday, April 14, 2009 and left pending. Your Senator is a member of the committee and needs to hear from you that he or she should vote for favorably reporting the bill from committee. The Health and Human Services Committee will meet tomorrow, Thursday, April 16, beginning at 9:00 am, and we would like the committee to vote on SB 1415 at that meeting. A committee substitute was laid out (CSSB 1415)

The Committee Substitute for SB 1415 gives the Board of Nursing (BON) additional options when addressing minor violations:
1. It gives the BON a new option of taking “corrective action” against a nurse the board finds has committed a minor violation of the Nursing Practice Act or BON rule. A “corrective action” would be a non-disciplinary, administrative action.
2. It directs the BON to pilot test a new concept of “deferred disciplinary action” as an option for addressing minor violations. A “deferred disciplinary action” would be a disciplinary action in which final action would be delayed pending the nurse’s successfully fulfilling certain conditions, e.g., remedial education. If successfully completed the case would be closed without final disciplinary action being taken against the nurse.
Under current law, the BON has only two options for addressing minor violations – dismiss the case or impose disciplinary action that remains on the nurse’s record permanently. CSSB 1415 gives the BON a third option.

CSSB 1415 is good for patient care because it will allow the Board of Nursing (BON) to spend less time on nurses who are reported for a minor violation of the Nursing Practice Act or BON rules and more time on reports that raise a question about the nurse’s ability to practice nursing safely. It is obviously good for nurses because it permits the BON to address reports of minor violations in a more expeditious, non-disciplinary manner that does not stay on the nurse’s record permanently."


Are you contacting your Legislators yet about all the important bills pending involving nursing?