[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6164546,"mediaKeyId","5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669","parentId",5428319,"title","Enforcement division outlines complaint-driven process; reports 15,293 complaints in FY25 to date and 1,496 licenses sanctioned last fiscal year","audioSeconds",1007,"startMs",13474000,"endMs",14481000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669&start=13474&end=14481","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669/thumbnail_13474000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6164546/Texas/Enforcement-division-outlines-complaint-driven-process-reports-15293-complaints-in-FY25-to-date-and-1496-licenses-sanctioned-last-fiscal-year","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164546-20b79d770eb6d34d3facbb7d3d7a22bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770530214&Signature=dyoJ9xutkX6oeV~BLo4btqyeV5PxjSdikpZUBJ3Sw2WT2LwuDGAmhYm1W3l2YT1lzRooLk4qHxApjFhvacboApPpO1437N3dKy7i2-lK-Ze0sb1GUONbm82S91CONqGcuYSJjyMCzorm7JWGdhCxNqOJ2LIgcc9XYqS7nSI5ZeU5ykebbx576K6kYzsUIhUli2h5A5G2oiDGJT~rIzpL39nJdWIg1F5bRmcvoJdPCrp0ZMbLY~l3tsph1bE38IB2bXX1ewNfBlz33762J1U7HcTELNOd8AmPf5hfmMgUQGCdWaUiJs4jBSq1ofCFcSmE3qZqJ1pKrq8kPZoZRYhawg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Board of Nursing","date","2025-07-19T02:07:43.223Z","article","At the July 18, 2025 meeting the Texas Board of Nursing's Assistant Director of Enforcement, Danielle Green, gave a detailed, informational presentation on how complaints are handled from intake through final disposition.

Green said the agency is complaint‑driven and that as of the meeting date the enforcement division had received 15,293 complaints in the fiscal year to date. Complaints come from external reporters (employers, patients and family members, required reporters) and internal eligibility checks (licensure disclosures, criminal background checks). Intake requires a written complaint and the board encourages use of its online complaints portal; submissions by mail, fax or email are also accepted.

Green described the investigatory steps: initial review to determine whether the complaint alleges conduct within the Nurse Practice Act (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 301) and whether there is sufficient information to initiate an investigation; issuance of notice to the respondent unless notice would jeopardize the investigation; subpoenas for records; witness interviews; and, where appropriate, expert review or evaluations (for example, chemical dependency evaluations). Tony (a staff investigator who participated in the presentation) gave a law‑enforcement example in which investigators do not give pre‑notice when advance notice would allow a subject to destroy evidence or close operations (the example described a 'pill mill' scenario involving coordinated illicit prescribing).

Green said the enforcement division has five investigative teams comprising 30 investigators: six eligibility staff, nine nurse investigators, 15 criminal justice investigators and five supervisors. She also said the agency was granted seven additional FTEs and that the division plans to add another team this fall.

Green reviewed outcomes and monitoring: during the previous fiscal year 1,496 licenses were sanctioned; the vast majority (she said, more than 99% by category) of licensees do not have current discipline. Common post‑investigation actions include agreed orders presented for board ratification, remedial education, monitoring through the Board's compliance unit (drug screens, employer forms, check‑ins), and — if parties do not agree to a proposed order — filing formal charges and, if necessary, administrative hearings at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). Green stressed that investigations rely on evidence and that a complaint alone does not establish a violation.

The presentation also explained that certain investigative steps are confidential; formal charges and hearings are public and will be reflected on a nurse's licensure record. Green and staff answered board members' questions about complaint sufficiency, evidence gathering, agency cooperation with outside audits and employer investigations, and how the office handles potentially retaliatory or false complaints.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 18, 2025 - Texas Board of Nursing Board Meeting - Day 2","oneSentenceSummary","Assistant Director of Enforcement Danielle Green briefed the board on July 18, 2025 on the complaint‑driven process for investigations, saying the enforcement division had received 15,293 complaints in the fiscal year to date and outlining intake, evidence gathering, notice practices and outcomes.","taxTitle","Texas Board of Nursing, Boards & Commissions, Executive, Texas","taxId",36446,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6164550,"Board approves Weaver & Tidwell rate‑schedule amendment, accepts FY25 internal audit report and approves FY26 audit plan",408,12341000,12749000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669&start=12341&end=12749","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669/thumbnail_12341000.jpg","/articles/6164550/Texas/Board-approves-Weaver-Tidwell-rateschedule-amendment-accepts-FY25-internal-audit-report-and-approves-FY26-audit-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164550-d9a8297e5929c675d836dcff2f2b7d7d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770530215&Signature=jYbgtRHbpuEBO-F1tpFRf1XJSE~lrvn7cQAViFyy4hCF-itutoozp-ydVklgSYrLv7mdm2zSBXKURN7FdrNISNwQQgXcwq54wknypyrYzo2aPsy-HH1ANzNEvkDgEX9YbU1YLzQPBvbaXAYQ73bdK7RTxkb5Mn2Ym5b0YwkGX5XWtUfU6Ad6T3pl~BBNuYSGBptDcMlWJyFlqVYJcxavdrSdDIRIK3zw~q37js6bQzfPwBgtwS4RsrChpdyuCmQN-laxASJ7m5rYRzRiW-xdeajWs4g8lwW77fIdNcrEh~j5t5bdulUrsoUDhObTwqSiT6lIAIbVLG7P~C5oeCwKOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Texas Board of Nursing on July 18, 2025 approved a contract amendment allowing Weaver and Tidwell LLP to bill the board under a variable hourly rate schedule tied to staff seniority and market conditions while maintaining a $50,000 annual cap. The motion to approve the revised Attachment A (with a corrected rate table) was made from the board floor and carried.

Board staff and Weaver and Tidwell told the board the firm's original $175-per-hour flat rate proposal dated to the 2023 RFP and that market forces and a shortage of accounting graduates have increased staffing costs. Weaver and Tidwell said the amendment would allow a staffing mix (including lower‑cost offshore staff for some work) while keeping total expenditures within the existing $50,000 cap; Weaver asserted the amendment did not raise the contract's total budget. The firm also said each invoice will include a breakdown of staff levels and hours to improve transparency.

In related actions, the board accepted Weaver and Tidwell's FY25 internal audit activities and approved the FY26 internal audit plan. The FY25 work included:
- An enforcement audit (strong rating; three findings, all risk‑rated low; management provided remediation dates);
- A targeted review of general counsel and enforcement focused on Operation Nightingale (strong rating; no findings on sampled expenditures);
- A follow-up audit of human resources management that verified remediation of two prior findings (strong rating).

Weaver and Tidwell presented a proposed FY26 plan that lists information security as the major audit for the year, a focused micro‑audit of procurement, follow-up on open enforcement items, and an annual internal audit report that must be submitted under the Texas Internal Auditing Act. The firm stated its IT partner (named in the presentation) had been in discussions with agency IT staff and would lead the information security audit.

Board members asked questions about billing structure, contract term language and oversight. Staff noted an earlier attachment contained the wrong rate table and that the corrected table was provided as a handout; the board voted on the revised table as presented at the meeting. Motions to accept the FY25 report and to approve the FY26 plan were made by Ken Johnson and seconded by Maisie Jamieson; both motions carried.

The board discussed deadlines and reporting requirements under the Texas Internal Auditing Act (Chapter 2102 of the Texas Government Code), including the requirement to file the annual internal audit report with the governor's office, the state auditor's office and the legislative budget board by Nov. 1, 2025.","The Texas Board of Nursing voted July 18, 2025 to approve a contract amendment allowing Weaver and Tidwell LLP to bill under a variable hourly rate schedule (based on staff seniority and market forces) while retaining a $50,000 annual cap, and also accepted the firm's FY25 internal audit activities and the FY26 risk‑based audit plan.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6164556,"Board of Nursing raises Executive Director Kristen K. Benton’s base salary to $203,337, grants 80 hours administrative leave",87,10925000,11012000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669&start=10925&end=11012","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669/thumbnail_10925000.jpg","/articles/6164556/Texas/Board-of-Nursing-raises-Executive-Director-Kristen-K-Bentons-base-salary-to-203337-grants-80-hours-administrative-leave","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164556-507377644ec202d1c97e80cef626438e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770530215&Signature=iqnur8TRq00onGBzraRcaU-JI6JXWpnt73DDk08pSgpqZ-xXL0K7MeUK25QhuAZHEYTcca~ef~Il8DXBBk42xEGlSPGI3s-bu25Y4tpIAufnKGVJfh4VDni1Yef0UgyzamqzJwJ3b8sN3ugWaJBHUyWnNUdCfQgu1qyswJzoXMw5PoMqLfy3yWwm-TpavHHI~f8Z0-kWq2UO0h7NMsvPlhu4vqEPjP3o5OGoQlzbgx2LwlEFVRFaIR-s7UI6Z1fTd0vROtcoXrwiDW8ElWdobBOUyA1KwmUWZrjCA4~svObaB0OgZEjmkwTCFp3~yUXx1lJjr7WQADzUhKK46LM6EA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the July 18, 2025 Texas Board of Nursing meeting in Austin, the board voted to increase Executive Director Kristen K. Benton’s annual base salary from $171,547 to $203,337 effective Sept. 1, 2025, and to award Benton 80 hours (10 days) of administrative leave. The motion was moved by Drew Riddle and seconded by Maisie Jamieson and carried unanimously.

Board members said the raise and leave award reflected their evaluation of Benton’s leadership. The board said she provides “excellent oversight” of the agency, keeps members informed, and “has done an amazing job spearheading our Operation Nightingale.” Members also said they selected a higher level within a legislative compensation range (referred to in the meeting as “level 5”) to align the executive director’s pay with chief nursing officers of comparable organizations.

The action followed an executive session held under Texas Government Code Section 551.074 for the annual performance evaluation of the executive director. The board’s public action in open session recorded the effective date and the leave award; the vote was announced as unanimous.

No additional conditions or contingency clauses were announced at the time of the vote. The board’s statement accompanying the motion cited Benton’s statewide and national leadership and said the adjustment was intended to place her pay “more equal to, or close to” peers in similar roles.

The board returned to other agenda business after announcing the motion carried.","At its July 18, 2025 meeting in Austin the Texas Board of Nursing voted unanimously to raise Executive Director Kristen K. Benton’s annual base salary from $171,547 to $203,337 effective Sept. 1, 2025, and to award 80 hours (10 days) of administrative leave.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6164540,"Assistant General Counsel Brian Linney Miller Jr. announces departure, urges staff to \"stay the course\"",106,11168000,11274000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669&start=11168&end=11274","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5428319-e6a43766f2ee7a36525d6eb83d153669/thumbnail_11168000.jpg","/articles/6164540/Texas/Assistant-General-Counsel-Brian-Linney-Miller-Jr-announces-departure-urges-staff-to-stay-the-course","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164540-28e7aa916027e2c750abf47083cbcdce/orig.mp4?Expires=1770530215&Signature=FqeV7ICGxT8bBV3Wo5aTRoRpSYrq8nXqWR0e79NoJos-rwXu1sGnoDbp-~U1nXnUl8-ntrXelyonUl8uspWF~NId7XjMCYs7a3W7laAstBfqaZS3W9lkjsesjY1gXz6PPCq-6WDvVJZE8OZJtAfXDdSQATnq1MdWlS9ylvU1dtzJIuhxZxd0k9boiYaP1kEke2mLv7cRzz2vIEofOVvhgQmeU-tLmJOSxrnUWfB1DHecYCkbK93pvhYOZBFJu185SblNZHkIY0uhaHbNY~Xgu~rocmsBr3LO6gcBr9xA2S05WrfXkao4sXomGZFFyLHGV3VCAmySw-6VUojwgLibGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At agenda item 7.4 during the July 18, 2025 meeting, Brian Linney Miller Jr., assistant general counsel, addressed the board to announce his departure from the agency. Miller said he began at the board in June (onboarding during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic), was licensed about six months earlier and has served roughly five years. He thanked staff, board members and agency partners for relationships developed during his tenure and urged the agency to \"stay the course\" in pursuing the board's mission to protect Texans who lack a voice.

Miller described the work as sometimes tiring and thankless but stressed its public‑protection purpose. He closed by thanking the board for the opportunity to serve and then turned the meeting back to the agenda.","Brian Linney Miller Jr., assistant general counsel, told the board July 18, 2025 that he will leave the agency after five years, thanked colleagues and urged staff and board members to continue the agency's mission of protecting Texans.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Enforcement division outlines complaint-driven process; reports 15,293 complaints in FY25 to date and 1,496 licenses sanctioned last fiscal year

Board approves Weaver & Tidwell rate‑schedule amendment, accepts FY25 internal audit report and approves FY26 audit plan

Board of Nursing raises Executive Director Kristen K. Benton’s base salary to $203,337, grants 80 hours administrative leave

Assistant General Counsel Brian Linney Miller Jr. announces departure, urges staff to "stay the course"