!TexasLegislativeSessionandwewait.! …!...
Transcript of !TexasLegislativeSessionandwewait.! …!...
Here we are 4 weeks into the 84th Texas Legislative Session and................we wait. Right now, legislators are busy crafting legislation and meeting with constituents. The Texas Constitution limits action during the first 60 days to only budget and emergency items so little more than resolutions and recognitions have occurred on the floor of either chamber. Representative Donna Howard presented this resolution honoring nurse practitioners http://bit.ly/1A4hhty and Representative Cecil Bell this one http://bit.ly/1KSSdug The Legislature only meets for 140 days every 2 years but when they meet, no one is safe. Everything is on the table – your property, your income, your daily activities, and the regulations impacting your ability to care for patients. That’s why we’re here. We want to make sure that someone is working to protect your practice and to create a regulatory environment that doesn’t stand in the way of patient care. Legislative Committee Assignments Both chambers have now appointed committees. These committees are the ones most likely to deal with issues important to us. While these are the primary committees of interest, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility that other committees will consider our legislative matters. Learn more about the House Public Health Committee -‐ http://bit.ly/1zcJP1r Learn more about the Senate Health & Human Services Committee http://bit.ly/173qKa8 We meet with members of these committees on a weekly basis just to make sure that they are on top of APRN issues of interest.
Our Bills We have a lot of items that we are pursuing this year. Once again, full practice authority is at the top of our list. I expect the bill to be finalized and out of Legislative Council (the agency responsible for drafting legislation) by early next week. Once a draft is ready, we will make it available for you all to view. If you have any interest in reading the one-‐page summaries of these bills, follow this link Round the Capitol We have two days upcoming where you can come to Austin and lobby your local legislators. Already, we have had two days where your colleagues met with 39 Representatives and 28 Senators. If you can make it on March 4 http://bit.ly/1D6s0rg or April 8 http://bit.ly/1DPmR5S please follow the links and register. Legislators need to hear from constituents. Let’s make sure that they are hearing from the nurse practitioner constituents on what you need to care for patients. Upcoming Week The upcoming week should be an exciting one as committees begin their work. We also expect that many of our bills will be filed and negotiations to begin on the various items we have proposed. I promise to provide updates as things begin to move. One last thing……….you will begin receiving calls to action. If you can’t make it to Austin, please respond to those specific calls to sign petitions and to email and call legislative offices. We need to utilize every tool in our toolbox – email, phone calls, Facebook, and twitter if we hope to be affective. Talk to you soon!