[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6313360,"mediaKeyId","2388152-0ac8049a0fd210f3dd949011ff078e8a","parentId",2388152,"title","Long hearing on Texas Medical Board spotlights fees, staffing and conflict questions over former medical director","audioSeconds",4556,"startMs",9502000,"endMs",14058000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388152-0ac8049a0fd210f3dd949011ff078e8a&start=9502&end=14058","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388152-0ac8049a0fd210f3dd949011ff078e8a/thumbnail_9502000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6313360/Texas/Long-hearing-on-Texas-Medical-Board-spotlights-fees-staffing-and-conflict-questions-over-former-medical-director","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313360-eeb278c32ff2999a822d06557560b22e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450873&Signature=e5tBRYZfPKop386wjYXcAZF8yNZ3n22GQiLA6N6ruSIcuyehcm6c2j9uKnqVwTDW4Gpe-T12Gszz8NRJ7XPd5XCkZyNeyJtOqKn1XzDkylRiYmFf35-lGlFgVXF64WGDKhZ63JwFTipVKqTBsF3WSujJr~oOi2GJupfohRl8BZSlmmerOxkQIjltKczv18U4OHY7NV8U8Ip20l48NJps9enTXzwOztVvWokvJfiLP~7~bNJMX0anihsXsU20BsJqU4Kh7SW~2DeJ6-irCuXM0TM2xmmFmrvZFszZ1ZU1b7zDM-SevrXmQ5dEFtZFVlNgntqKDPN3uNxmNKkwgYlI3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas State Legislature","date","2025-02-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Texas Medical Board told the House Appropriations subcommittee on March 5 that it needs additional funding to modernize enforcement systems, expand staff and stand up an ombudsman office to improve licensing turn‑around and complaint transparency.

\"Our primary responsibility is to license qualified applicants and to do so efficiently and then process complaints and make sure that our licensees are safe to practice medicine,\" Deputy Executive Director Joe Estrada told the panel, describing growth in licensing and a need to modernize legacy enforcement platforms.

Estrada said the board's revenue collections exceed expenditures and that most of the agency's exceptional items could be funded from license fee revenue. Among the requests were inflation‑adjusted operational costs, targeted compensation increases for roles with high turnover (attorneys, nurse investigators, license specialists), and an IT modernization to provide real‑time complaint tracking and reduce reliance on paper mail.

Multiple members pressed TMB staff about policy and enforcement priorities. Representative Harrison questioned the board's actions on gender‑affirming care for minors, asking whether the board had authority and whether it had used rulemaking to restrict treatments. TMB staff said the agency is principally complaint‑driven and that it had not undertaken rulemaking in that area; staff pledged to follow up on complaint records from the committee.

Members also raised a separate concern after public reporting showed a recent TMB medical director had a long outside affiliation with Planned Parenthood. TMB witnesses said the board will review outside‑employment disclosures annually and that they had not been aware of the employment details until the director's curriculum vitae was publicized in court filings. The agency agreed to provide an attestation to the committee about current outside‑employment disclosures.

Lawmakers asked about telework levels and fee burdens. TMB said roughly 75% of staff engage in some form of telework, with field investigators working remotely, and that physician licensing fees have not increased since 2015. Medical association testimony supported TMB funding for staff and IT while urging efficient use of license revenue.

The subcommittee asked TMB to provide follow‑up information on complaint records related to gender‑affirming care, consultant spending, and confirmation that no other employees have potential conflicts of interest arising from work for regulated entities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII 2/25/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Texas Medical Board presented a multi‑million dollar request for staff, IT modernization and an ombudsman. Lawmakers pressed TMB on past actions, fee levels, telework, and why a former medical director also employed by Planned Parenthood remained on staff for years.","taxTitle","Committee on Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16206,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6313363,"Board of Nursing asks Legislature for staff, IT overhaul to address fraud, caseload surge",986,2310000,3296000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388152-0ac8049a0fd210f3dd949011ff078e8a&start=2310&end=3296","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388152-0ac8049a0fd210f3dd949011ff078e8a/thumbnail_2310000.jpg","/articles/6313363/Texas/Board-of-Nursing-asks-Legislature-for-staff-IT-overhaul-to-address-fraud-caseload-surge","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313363-6ac82318e0eff424781a6410bd0a3fe7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450873&Signature=RdCdUg-aaK1qY7tqRVsgUzxN3cCmRXddOFVwr2YCkPq7YGQekBDF5~an2KgS9O2OynzPocI0XYJPhOswsUIoqvgCFO1hXnHMZc0qCIwIyjD3U5pj39RN4kyOzlgt6XpVrssFZwzs3hhtNg8jdtGy0YGP7YbP3ByfOX~sVvXOhAgj2LMKL3E005cApMcwcSuQoyHVnyqIeHGnFvGHQ75oF1pctAlUP1JA1Jm37zDKRxTUDIT3AQcwBakJtsqncqVYRPZe7P8o74NZ62czzBncaNK~sPOxdjCQE1W8TB84pRfgS8nK5JF7l0bdf~P0jD~ZiQ70FljOEHYFNzJYKgDH9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Texas Board of Nursing told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII, & VIII on March 5 that it needs additional investigators, a new enforcement database and other resources to address a large increase in complaints and fraudulent licenses.

\"We currently have over 566,000 licensees,\" Executive Director Kristen Benton said. \"We received over 20,000 complaints last year.\" Benton said the board is requesting 15 additional full‑time equivalents, emphasizing investigators to reduce investigator caseloads that average about 180 cases per investigator.

The board cited Operation Nightingale — a national fraud scheme that produced thousands of suspect nursing credentials tied to certain out‑of‑state programs — as a factor that has added hundreds of complex reviews to licensing and enforcement work. Benton said the agency has already received FBI information naming additional programs, and staff must do detailed equivalency reviews and education‑program inquiries.

Board President Kathleen Shipp told the committee the agency has worked to keep fees low and return unspent funds to the state, but that the IT request likely exceeds current fee revenue limits. \"To modernize agency systems without increasing fees, we request an exemption for the one‑time cost of this project,\" Shipp said, referring to a new enforcement database, a website revamp and an education‑program database.

The board said most of its non‑IT requests could be covered within current and projected licensing revenue without raising fees; the IT project was the exception. Hemant Macon, Director of Operations, confirmed the board returns about $1.5 million to the General Revenue Fund on average each year and that statutory rules require appropriations for the agency to retain and spend collected revenues.

Members pressed on timelines and details; Benton said cost estimates were refined after vendor outreach and that recent requests were reduced by roughly $878,000 following RFIs. The board asked the committee to weigh an exempted IT appropriation to avoid a temporary fee increase for LVNs, RNs and APRNs.

If funded as requested, the Board of Nursing said it plans to add investigators, modernize its complaint and enforcement systems, expand the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, and increase funding for the peer assistance program for nurses in recovery.","The Texas Board of Nursing requested funding for 15 investigators, an IT modernization project, and other program support after a surge in complaints and fraud tied to Operation Nightingale; agency says most requests can be covered by existing licensing revenue but asks for a one-time exemption for IT costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Long hearing on Texas Medical Board spotlights fees, staffing and conflict questions over former medical director

Board of Nursing asks Legislature for staff, IT overhaul to address fraud, caseload surge