PRINTER'S NO. 65
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 114
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY ARGALL, BROOKS, BOSCOLA, PENNYCUICK, LAUGHLIN,
J. WARD, CULVER, BROWN, COSTA, MASTRIANO, GEBHARD, PHILLIPS-
HILL, HUTCHINSON AND SCHWANK, JANUARY 22, 2025
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 22, 2025
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 9, 1997 (P.L.169, No.14), entitled "An
2 act providing for Statewide nurse aide training programs
3 relating to nursing facilities," providing for training for
4 long-term care, for criteria for nurse aides and for
5 limitation on department.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. The act of June 9, 1997 (P.L.169, No.14), known
9 as the Nurse Aide Resident Abuse Prevention Training Act, is
10 amended by adding sections to read:
11 Section 3.1. Training for long-term care.
12 The department shall:
13 (1) Develop and implement a long-term care curriculum
14 for nurse aides.
15 (2) Establish qualifications for individuals to conduct
16 training of the long-term care curriculum. The qualifications
17 shall include, at a minimum, that an instructor must be a
18 registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse under the
19 supervision of a registered nurse as defined in 49 Pa. Code §
 1 21.1 (relating to definitions).
2 (3) Establish a training program to implement a train-
3 the-trainer model so that trainers are able to deliver the
4 long-term care curriculum to nurse aides in this
5 Commonwealth. If the training of a nurse aide is performed by
6 a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse under the
7 general supervision of a registered nurse:
8 (i) the registered nurse must be available to the
9 licensed practical nurse; and
10 (ii) the registered nurse must have a minimum of two
11 years of nursing experience, with at least 12 months of
12 employment in a long-term care nursing facility.
13 (4) Review a facility's application for approval to
14 establish a training program. If the department fails to
15 approve an initial application within 45 calendar days of
16 receipt, the application shall be deemed approved. If the
17 department fails to approve a revised application within 15
18 days of receipt, the application shall be deemed approved.
19 Section 3.2. Criteria for nurse aides.
20 (a) Competency examination.--In order to become a nurse aide
21 in this Commonwealth, an individual must:
22 (1) Successfully complete a State-approved nurse aide
23 curriculum and training program or the long-term care
24 curriculum for nurse aides and achieve a minimum score,
25 established by the department, on the nurse aide competency
26 examination, which shall consist of:
27 (i) a written portion that may be taken, at the
28 option of the individual, in person or remotely over the
29 Internet; and
30 (ii) a skills-demonstrated portion approved by the
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 1 department and administered at a site and instructor
2 approved by the department.
3 (2) Be a graduate of an accredited registered nurse or
4 licensed practical nursing program and achieve a minimum
5 score, established by the department, on the nurse aide
6 competency examination.
7 (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, be a
8 student nurse or graduate nurse that has completed courses
9 through a nursing program that is equivalent to the
10 requirements of the nurse aide training program and achieves
11 a minimum score as required by the department on the nurse
12 aide competency examination.
13 (b) Facility proctoring of the competency evaluation.--
14 (1) The competency evaluation may, at the prospective
15 nurse aide's option, be conducted at the facility in which
16 the prospective nurse aide is or will be employed unless the
17 facility is described in 42 CFR 483.151(b)(2) (relating to
18 state review and approval of nurse aide training and
19 competency evaluation programs).
20 (2) The department may permit the competency evaluation
21 to be proctored by facility personnel if the department finds
22 that the procedure adopted by the facility ensures that the
23 competency evaluation program:
24 (i) is secure from tampering;
25 (ii) is standardized and scored by a testing,
26 educational or other organization approved by the
27 department; and
28 (iii) requires no scoring by facility personnel.
29 Section 3.3. Limitation on department.
30 The department may not impose on a provider of a State-
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 1 approved nurse aide program a waiting period between approval of
2 the training program and the offering of any portion of the
3 training online as authorized under section 9.
4 Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:
5 (1) The addition of section 3.1(1), (2) and (3) of the
6 act shall take effect in one year.
7 (2) The addition of section 3.2(b) of the act shall take
8 effect in 60 days.
9 (3) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 30
10 days.
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