Eight hours for new employees, three for continuing ones.
The bill changes the annual training rule for inpatient mental health facilities, treatment facilities, and hospitals that provide comprehensive medical rehabilitation services. New employees must get at least eight hours of initial training, and continuing employees must get three hours of ongoing training, on spotting patient abuse, neglect, and illegal, unprofessional, or unethical conduct. Facilities must provide these hours to keep their licenses, starting September 1, 2025.
Labels
Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 831 (Died in committee) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 831 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Apr 16, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Public Health committee 9-0, no floor vote.
relating to inservice training on identifying abuse, neglect, and
illegal, unprofessional, and unethical conduct in certain health
care facilities.
WHAT IT DOES
Eight hours for new employees, three for continuing ones.
The bill changes the annual training rule for inpatient mental health facilities, treatment facilities, and hospitals that provide comprehensive medical rehabilitation services. New employees must get at least eight hours of initial training, and continuing employees must get three hours of ongoing training, on spotting patient abuse, neglect, and illegal, unprofessional, or unethical conduct. Facilities must provide these hours to keep their licenses, starting September 1, 2025.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator Flores moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 626 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator Flores moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 626 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
House committee · Public Health · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 4 absent · Out of committee
Senate committee · Health & Human Services · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee
Subjects
Health Care Providers
Health--General
Occupational Regulation--Health Occupations
STAFF DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
Text
The text as introduced · 238 words
89R5102 JTZ-F
By: Flores
S.B. No. 626
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to inservice training on identifying abuse, neglect, and
illegal, unprofessional, and unethical conduct in certain health
care facilities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 161.133(a), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) The executive commissioner by rule shall require each
inpatient mental health facility, treatment facility, or hospital
that provides comprehensive medical rehabilitation services to
annually provide as a condition of continued licensure a minimum of
eight hours of initial inservice training for new employees and
three hours of continuing inservice training for continuing
employees that is designed to assist employees and health care
professionals associated with the facility in identifying patient
abuse or neglect and illegal, unprofessional, or unethical conduct
by or in the facility.
SECTION 2. Section 161.133(a), Health and Safety Code, as
amended by this Act, applies to the minimum number of inservice
training hours provided as a condition of licensure by health care
facilities subject to that section on and after the effective date
of this Act. The minimum number of inservice training hours
provided before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and
the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 