1. (a) Authority. Texas Education Code, §§61.9621 - 61.9628 establishes the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program to help reduce the professional nursing shortage. The statute directs the Coordinating Board to administer a grant program, supervise institutional reporting requirements, and adopt program rules.

2. (b) Scope.

   1. (1) Unless otherwise noted, this subchapter applies to any public or private institution of higher education in Texas that offers a professional nursing program that leads to initial licensure.
   2. (2) Continued Eligibility of Prior Programs. A professional nursing program offered by an entity other than a public or private or independent institution of higher education that was eligible to receive grants from a program under this subchapter before September 1, 2009, remains eligible to receive a grant from such a program if the entity meets all criteria for a grant other than the criterion of being a program offered by an institution of higher education.
3. (c) Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to establish a procedure for administration of an application and reporting process for the determination of awards, a method for determining penalties for missing program reporting deadlines, failing to submit required reports, and the provision to audit award expenditures by recipients under the program.

Source Note:The provisions of this §22.501 adopted to be effective February 18, 2008, 33 TexReg 1326; amended to be effective August 26, 2009, 34 TexReg 5689.