Senate public-health committee rejects APRN delegation bill, advances a package of health-related measures

The Arkansas Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday voted down House Bill 1131 — a bill to allow advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to delegate clinical tasks to unlicensed staff — after an extended debate over language that would let APRNs delegate “without limitation.” The panel approved more than a dozen other health and licensing measures, including changes to background-check rules for Department of Corrections hires, new certification paths for community health workers and psychological practitioners, and clarified authority for APRNs to sign durable medical equipment authorizations.

The APRN delegation bill drew the most attention of the morning. Supporters said the measure would align APRN delegation rules with existing delegation for physicians and physician assistants and ease routine care in clinics and rural settings; opponents said the phrase “without limitation” would legally allow APRNs to delegate beyond what licensing boards intended. Representative Pilkington, the House sponsor, told the committee the bill mirrored longstanding statutory language used in similar delegation bills and that the Board of Nursing would adopt rules to protect patients. "This does not change the task that can be delegated by an APRN. It only changes the who," said Julia Ponder of the Arkansas Nurse Practitioner Association.

Senator Payton led the questioning that proved decisive, repeatedly urging the removal or narrowing of the phrase "without limitation." Payton said he supported the bill's goal but could not support its final language: "I want a bill I can vote for," he said, asking the sponsors to give the board clearer authority to define permissible delegated tasks. After debate, the bill failed when the committee did not register five affirmative…