Rep. Darby Calls Out “White Coats,” Urges Public Health Committee to Act

Last week, the House Public Health Committee held a hearing on HB 3794 by Representative Drew Darby, APRN full practice legislation that addresses one of the most pressing challenges in our state today: the shortage of accessible, affordable healthcare, especially in rural and underserved communities. Watch the hearing clip here.

Dozens of white coats stormed the Capitol to testify against the bill, trotting out the usual arguments on patient safety and the inferiority of APRN education. Not a single physician testifier had data proving that patient outcomes worsened in states and jurisdictions that removed physician delegation requirements and granted APRNs full practice authority, including 27 states, the VA, and all three branches of the military.

"Are we going to listen to people in white coats looking down their noses at us?" Darby asked the committee. "We’re having to live in these areas—underserved areas—without access to quality healthcare."

Rep. Darby addressed the lack of progress with the status quo policy solutions. 

What we’re doing now isn’t working folks—you can talk about GME, loan repayment, shortages.” “But what we don’t have are doctors willing to move to rural Texas. We do have nurse practitioners that are highly trained, highly qualified, actually providing those services, willing to live and work in rural Texas, but yet—they have to pay for that piece of paper.”

Rep Darby urged his colleagues to act.

"This is too important not to put it on the table folks." "Let's try to find a solution. Texas should not lag in this and be the last state in the country to allow this practice."

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