FULL PRACTICE AUTHORITY BILL scheduled for HEARING!!! Tuesday, 4/25

Victory -- Full Practice Scheduled for a Hearing!

Ladies and gentleman of TNP, WE DID IT!

Today is a historic day for Nurse Practitioners in Texas. We are beyond the moon happy to share with you that our full practice authority legislation, HB 1415 by Rep Stephanie Klick, has been scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, April 25.

Our opposition said it would never happen. They believed it was impossible for our full practice bill to ever see the light of day, but we have achieved the impossible. And it is because of your voices, the unwavering support of our Coalition partners and the APRN Alliance, and our public Put Patients First Texas campaign that we were successful in making this historic hearing happen.

In addition to HB 1415, there are several other bills scheduled for a Public Health Committee hearing on that same day, including HB 1225 (APRN insurance bill), HB 1846 (APRN Schedule II discharge prescription bill), and a number of other bills related to APRNs and Physician Assistants. Senate bill 654 by Sen. Seliger, the companion bill to HB 1225 by Representative Smithee, is also scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, April 25 in the Senate Business & Commerce Committee. To see all of TNP's bills, see our "Issues" page here.

What We Need From You Now

Sign-up for our APRN Day: We want there to be an absolute sea of NPs at the Texas Capitol on the day of our hearing so we can make our presence, and our ask, loud and clear: release APRNs so they can do the job they are educated and trained to do. Sign up today, and bring 10 or even 20 friends.

Register in Support of HB 1415 for the Committee Record: Prior to the APRN Capitol Day presentation, we will have APRNs meet us outside of the hearing room starting at 8:00 AM to register on the record in support of our full practice and other APRN bills. Please note: we do not need NPs to deliver oral testimony the day of, as the Coalition for Health Care Access has 15 testifiers who have been prepped over the past month for this important day. However, we do need you to register your support and name so the official legislative record includes a list of hundreds of NPs and other stakeholders who support this legislation.

What Can You Do if you Can’t Make APRN Day?

Send us Written Testimony/Support Letters: If you can’t join us for APRN Day, we still want to register your voice and support for HB 1415. Send Erin ( erin@texasnp.org ) written testimony or a letter of support (see sample here), and we will hand deliver these to the members of the House Public Health Committee the day of the hearing.

Host a Watch Party for the Hearing: This hearing will be live broadcast all day, and will likely go into the evening hours. Host a watch party with your affiliate or in your home, and share this historic experience with your fellow NPs and neighbors.

Participate in our Virtual Rally and Social Media Storm: The day of the hearing, we will send our members hashtags and social media materials to circulate all day long and share with your legislators. Stay tuned for more info.

We have a lot of work to do over the next several days, but this is the work we’ve been waiting for. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank our members for their perseverance and relentless advocacy over the past several months -- for some, several years and even decades! We are inspired by you every day and know that by fighting for you, we are fighting for Texas patients. As always, it is an honor to represent you and to advance the nurse practitioner profession for the good of all Texans.

We will be in touch as we continue to make preparations for this important day.

Sincerely,
Your TNP Team