Committee advances rural nursing education bill in executive session

The Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee, in executive session Tuesday, adopted a proposed substitute for Senate Bill 5,335 — legislation to establish a rural nursing education program — and voted to forward the measure to the Ways and Means Committee.

The bill, introduced earlier by Sen. Slatter, was the subject of a staff briefing before the committee moved into a caucus and returned to executive session to consider the substitute labeled S1095.1. Committee members moved adoption of the proposed substitute; the substitute was adopted and the committee moved that the bill receive a "due pass" recommendation to be sent to the Ways and Means Committee. The chair announced the bill "is passed subject signatures."

Senator Slatter, the bill sponsor, described the measure as aimed at strengthening the nursing workforce in rural communities. "We have a critical workforce shortage for nursing and particularly in rural communities," Sen. Slatter said, adding that enabling nurses to train and remain near home would support critical-access hospitals and broaden access to care. "This bill is really about building health care close to home," she said.

Committee staff noted the bill had been heard previously and that the proposed substitute declares an emergency and moves the bill's effective date to July 1, 2025. There was no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript; the committee used voice votes during the executive session.

The committee then exited executive session and continued with the remainder of its agenda.

Notes: The transcript records adoption of a proposed substitute and a committee motion to forward a due-pass recommendation; no formal roll-call vote tally was provided.