SB 36 allows nurses with a DNP or PhD to use the title 'doctor' while clearly identifying themselves as nurses; committee adopted an amendment to narrow eligible degrees, and testimony from DNPs and nursing organizations emphasized transparency and workforce benefits, while some senators expressed concern about patient confusion in clinical and advertising settings.

HB 991 mandates automatic expiration of inactive registrations and sets late renewal fees.

Board member Bonnie told the State Board of Accountancy that a U.S. Department of Education proposal would narrow which occupations count as "professional" for certain federal student loan programs; accounting was listed among fields removed in the draft. AICPA and state societies are coordinating a response and a town hall is scheduled.

Senate discussion centered on a bill to require the RRT credential for respiratory therapists practicing in Missouri, with a grandfather clause for current CRT licensees and random audit checks at renewal.

Multiple court-reporting instructors and association leaders urged the Judicial Branch Certification Commission to recognize the NCRA Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) credential as meeting the Texas CSR skills requirement; the commission voted to refer the petition and related rule changes to its advisory board for further review because of statutory constraints on exam administration.