Committee hears bill to codify, modernize nursing initiative grants; no appropriation change in bill

House Bill 2248, which would establish the Kansas Nursing Initiative Grant Program in statute and change how the program can be used, was heard Wednesday by the House Higher Education Budget Committee.

Jill Walters, a staff member who provided the bill brief, said the bill would place the grant program under administration of the State Board of Regents and permit ‘‘need-based or competitive grants for the expansion of nursing faculty, laboratory supplies, and tools for student success.’’ Walters said eligible institutions would include public universities, municipal universities, community colleges, technical colleges and not-for-profit private institutions with a main campus in Kansas.

The nut of the proposal, Walters said, is that grants would not require a local match and institutions could request up to $100,000 for nonconsumable lab supplies and equipment, funding for adjunct clinical instructors (including when an instructor is partially funded by a health care facility), tutoring and NCLEX preparation, and student support such as childcare. Eligibility would require national accreditation, approval by the State Board of Nursing and a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) score at or above the most recent three-year national average.

Tara Mays of the Kansas Hospital Association, a proponent, told the committee the bill modernizes a program first created in 2006 and reflects current cost pressures and industry needs. ‘‘This bill allows those thresholds to more closely mirror what the industry needs are when it comes to things like simulation equipment,’’ Mays said, adding hospitals support the bill because it can help recruit and retain nurses by strengthening education pipelines and educator pay.

Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, also supported the bill but outlined differences between current practice and the bill’s language. Flanders told the committee the Regents currently permit use of grant funds for consumable lab supplies and a broader set of faculty support, including simulation faculty and professional development, and that institutions currently provide a dollar-for-dollar institutional match. ‘‘This bill would change several of those practices,’’ Flanders said, noting the match requirement and permitted uses in existing practice differ from the bill text.

Committee members asked about rural impacts, enrollment trends and funding. Mays said vacancy rates have risen in both urban and rural areas and described a decline in program enrollment and rising retirement rates among nurses; she said the bill does not itself add appropriation but enables multi-year grant commitments and expanded eligible uses. Flanders said Regents data show many nurses choose to work close to where they trained and that targeted support can be critical to preserving programs in smaller communities.

The hearing record included written-only testimony from AdventHealth South, the Kansas Independent College Association and LeadingAge Kansas in support of the bill. Committee leadership asked interested parties to meet with the reviser and stakeholders to discuss possible language changes, including the institutional match.

No committee vote or final action on HB 2248 was recorded at the hearing; the bill was presented for consideration and proponents and Regents staff answered questions. The committee indicated it may consider amendments and planned to meet again the next day to continue work on bills previously heard.

Ending: The committee left the bill subject to further drafting and stakeholder discussion; HB 2248 would take effect and operate only if funding is provided through the normal appropriations process.