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Board of Nursing rule raises and reinstates fees after multi-year carryover and deficits
Summary
The committee advanced rule amendments from the Board of Nursing that reinstate and raise several fees intended to restore the board's reserves after deficits in recent years and a period during which initial licensure fees were set to zero.
The Government Operations Committee on Aug. 20 advanced rule amendments from the State Board of Nursing designed to restore the board's operating reserves after several years of budgetary adjustments.
Holt Witt, assistant commissioner for legislative affairs at the Department of Health, presented the packet and said the board in 2023 had a deficit of roughly $681,000 and in 2024 a deficit of roughly $1.7 million. Mark Waters, advisory attorney for the board, told members the board had reduced initial licensure fees to zero about six years ago to draw down a growing carryover balance; costs have since increased and the board's reserve had been reduced from as high as $9 million to about $5 million based on the last fiscal year.
The rule amendments reinstate several fees and raise others to move the board toward self-sufficiency. Committee members asked how quickly the fund balance might return to the board’s target level; presenters said two-year license cycles mean improvement could appear in one or two renewal cycles and that a vacant fiscal director position at the department has left boards relying on an interim budget manager until the vacancy is filled.
The committee moved the rule packet with a positive recommendation. No public comment was recorded during the hearing.
