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Kansas House re-refers bill allowing BSN nurses to teach LPN classes after floor debate
Summary
A bill to let registered nurses with BSN degrees teach LPN classes drew continued debate over accreditation and workforce effects; the House voted to reconsider and re-refer House Bill 23-92 to the Health and Human Services Committee for further study.
Lawmakers on the Kansas House floor voted to reconsider and re-refer House Bill 23-92, a measure that would let registered nurses holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) teach Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) classes without requiring a master’s degree.
Representative Wasser, the bill’s carrier, said the measure aims to ease a workforce bottleneck by allowing qualified BSN nurses to serve as instructors for LPN programs, particularly in rural areas where staffing and higher-degree holders are scarce. The bill as amended inserts multiple clarifications requested by the Kansas State Board of Nursing and, according to Wasser, has the Board’s informal agreement on the revised language.
Supporters described the bill and amendment as a targeted solution to increase training capacity and get more nurses into the workforce. Representative Steele, who holds an advanced nursing degree, said the bill would help place more nurses at the bedside by expanding the pool of eligible instructors.
Opponents, including Representative Oropesa and Representative Haskins, urged caution. Oropesa said the amendment improved the bill but did not address core concerns about teacher qualifications, accreditation and long-term workforce effects. "We make more money at the bedside than we do teaching," Oropesa said, arguing that financial incentives and accreditation requirements already constrain the pool of clinical instructors and that lowering educational requirements could risk "watering down" nursing education. Haskins warned that accreditation standards require pedagogy and teacher qualifications that this bill may not satisfy.
On a later motion on the floor, Representative Kraw moved to reconsider the bill. The motion to reconsider carried, and Representative Croft moved to return House Bill 23-92 to the Health and Human Services Committee; that motion passed and the bill was re-referred for further consideration.
What’s next: HB 23-92 will return to committee for additional stakeholder engagement and possible revision before another committee or floor appearance.
