Establishes process for county colleges to offer baccalaureate degree nursing programs.

A1302

ASSEMBLY, No. 1302

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes process for county colleges to offer
baccalaureate degree nursing programs.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning nursing education at county colleges and
supplementing chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� In October of 2010, the
Institute of Medicine released its landmark report, �The Future of Nursing,�
which recommended increasing the proportion of baccalaureate degree nurses in
the workforce to 80 percent by 2020;

���� b.��� The committee charged
with preparing the report�s recommendations indicated that in order to meet the
demands of an evolving health care system and meet the changing needs of
patients, nurses must achieve higher levels of education;

���� c.���� In May of 2010, the
Tri-Council for Nursing also indicated in its statement, �Education Advancement
of Registered Nurses,� that a more highly educated nursing workforce is
critical to meeting the nation�s nursing needs and delivering safe, effective
patient care;

���� d.��� In New Jersey, there is
not the capacity in baccalaureate degree nursing programs at the four-year
institutions of higher education that is necessary to meet this identified
critical need; and

���� e.���� One mechanism that
would be cost effective for both the State and its students would be to
authorize county colleges to establish baccalaureate degree nursing programs,
which will thus expand the number of seats in baccalaureate degree programs,
increase the pool of highly-trained nurses, and provide greater access to
quality health care for State residents.

���� 2.��� a.� The board of
trustees of a county college established pursuant to chapter 64A of Title 18A
of the New Jersey Statutes, may submit a proposal to the New Jersey Presidents�
Council for the establishment of a baccalaureate degree nursing program.�� The proposal
shall include:

���� (1)�� a brief description of
the program, the unmet need for graduates of the program in the geographic
region to be served by the program, and an estimated timeframe for
implementation of the program;

���� (2)�� identification of the
facilities, equipment, and library and academic resources that will be used to
deliver the program;

���� (3)�� a cost analysis of
establishing the program;

���� (4)�� the program�s admission
requirements, academic content, curriculum, faculty credentials, and
accreditation plan; and

���� (5)�� the program�s enrollment
projections and funding requirements.

���� b.��� The New Jersey
Presidents� Council shall review the proposal, notify the board of trustees of
any deficiencies in writing within 30 days following receipt of the proposal,
and provide the board of trustees with an opportunity to correct the
deficiencies.

���� c.���� Within 45 days of
receipt of a completed proposal, the New Jersey Presidents� Council shall
forward the proposal, with its recommendation for approval or disapproval of
the proposal, to the Secretary of Higher Education.�� The secretary shall
consider the council�s recommendation and shall provide the county college with
a written determination on the approval or disapproval of the proposal within
60 days of its receipt from the council.

���� d.��� The establishment of a
baccalaureate degree nursing program by a county college pursuant to the
provisions of this act shall be dependent upon the county college receiving
accreditation for the program by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes a
process under which a county college may receive approval to offer a
baccalaureate degree nursing program.� Under the bill�s provisions, the board
of trustees of a county college may submit a proposal to the New Jersey
Presidents� Council to offer such a four-year degree program.� The proposal
must include:

���� 1)��� a description of the
program, the unmet need for graduates of the program in the geographic region
to be served by the program, and the timeframe for implementation of the
program;

���� 2)��� identification of the
facilities, equipment, and library and academic resources that will be used to
deliver the program;

���� 3)��� a cost analysis of
establishing the program;

���� 4)��� the program�s admission
requirements, academic content, curriculum, faculty credentials, and
accreditation plan; and

���� 5)��� the program�s enrollment
projections and funding requirements.

���� The New Jersey Presidents�
Council is to review the proposal, notify the board of trustees of any
deficiencies in writing within 30 days following receipt of the proposal, and
provide the board with an opportunity to correct the deficiencies.

���� Within 45 days of receipt of a
completed proposal, the council will forward the proposal, with its
recommendation for approval or disapproval, to the Secretary of Higher
Education.�� The secretary will provide the county college with a written
determination on the approval or disapproval of the proposal within 60 days of
its receipt from the council.

���� The establishment of a
baccalaureate degree nursing program by a county college is dependent upon the
county college receiving accreditation for the program by the New Jersey Board
of Nursing.