Sen. Cesar Blanco, backers push HEAL Texans Act (Senate Bill 911) to expand nurse practitioner authority

Sen. Cesar Blanco, senator for District 29, on Thursday refiled the HEAL Texans Act (Senate Bill 911) and urged lawmakers to remove what he called “unnecessary barriers” that prevent advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including nurse practitioners, from providing primary care in underserved parts of Texas.

Blanco said the bill is intended to expand access to primary care in rural and urban areas facing provider shortages. “This is not just a problem. This is a crisis,” he said, calling out long travel times, limited appointment availability and contractual requirements that he said keep APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their training.

The bill’s supporters described the proposal as a workforce and access measure, not a change to surgical or specialty practice. At the event, Vice Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Sen. Charles Perry joined Blanco in endorsing the bill, stressing the role of APRNs in filling gaps while the state works to expand graduate medical education slots for primary care.

Patient advocates and clinicians who spoke at the event gave personal examples and professional testimony. Susie Clary, a breast cancer survivor from Post in Garza County, said her nurse practitioners coordinated her care and repeatedly encouraged her to get screening that led to early diagnosis and treatment. “If it hadn’t been for my nurse practitioner staying on me until I made that appointment for my mammogram, I would not be here,” Clary said.

Retired Army physician Dr. Philip Day, who said he practiced at Fort Hood and who identified himself as a veteran, described seeing nurse practitioners provide high-quality primary care in military and VA settings and said Texas is losing trained APRNs to other states with broader practice authority. “SB 911 will without a doubt improve accessing care for patients,” Day said.

Tina Tran, state director for AARP Texas, said the organization — representing roughly 2.5 million members in Texas — supports the bill. Tran cited figures presented at the event describing an aging population: she said there are 3,900,000 Texans aged 65 and older and gave a projection (as stated at the event) that the number will rise substantially in coming decades. She linked the demographic trend and rural provider shortages as reasons the state should allow APRNs to practice to the full extent of their training.

Blanco and other speakers frequently referenced contractual and supervisory arrangements that currently govern APRN practice in Texas, saying those contracts sometimes require chart reviews or delegated oversight by physicians that occur well after care is delivered and that add administrative burden and cost. Blanco and Perry pointed to examples from other states and federal systems: they noted that the Department of Veterans Affairs and many other states allow APRNs broader autonomy, which proponents say increased access to care in rural areas.

Event participants framed SB 911 as focused on primary care only; speakers repeatedly said the bill would not extend to surgeries or specialty practice. Blanco and Perry said the state will continue to pursue physician training (graduate medical education) to increase the supply of primary care doctors, while also enabling APRNs to expand immediate access.

No committee action or vote was taken at the event; speakers described SB 911 as refiled and awaiting legislative consideration. During a brief question-and-answer period, supporters acknowledged political opposition from physician groups and said they plan to use data and constituent testimony to educate legislators across sessions.

The news event closed with Blanco thanking the families and organizations who traveled to support the measure. The bill’s next formal steps were not specified at the event.