A post about a new Texas CE requirement has been circulating in nursing Facebook groups, and most versions of it get the details wrong in both directions, some overstating it as a "mandatory national registry," others saying you must upload certificates today. Here's what Senate Bill 912 actually does, verified against the Texas Board of Nursing and the enrolled bill text.
What SB 912 Actually Does
SB 912 is aimed at the licensing boards, not at you. Its legal mechanism is Texas Occupations Code Chapter 112, which says a licensing entity "may not renew a health care practitioner's license unless the licensing entity verifies that the health care practitioner has complied with any continuing education requirements" and requires each board to "establish a continuing education tracking system." The Board of Nursing must have that system in place no later than September 1, 2026. The law covers Texas health licensing boards broadly; nursing is one of many professions affected.
In plain terms: the state is telling the Board to build a way to verify CE at renewal, rather than the current honor-system-plus-random-audit model. It is a Texas state system, not a national database and not a paid third-party service.
What Changed on September 1, 2026
Despite the viral "you must upload your CE now" version that circulated earlier in 2026, Texas nurses renewing before September 1, 2026 renewed the old way. At renewal, they attested that they met the continuing-competency requirements and only submitted documentation if selected for a random audit. There was no upload-before-renewal requirement in effect before that date.
That changed on September 1, 2026. The Board's own CE Module page now says that nurses renewing or reactivating a Texas license on or after that date must document compliance through the CE Module in the Texas Nurse Portal before submitting the renewal or reactivation application, with a certificate uploaded for each activity as a PDF, PNG, JPG or JPEG. That is a hard gate at renewal rather than a random audit afterwards.
The rule amendments implementing this (22 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 216) were listed as proposedin the Texas Register in March 2026. The Board publishes the September 1 requirement as operative in its own instructions to nurses regardless of the rule's exact adoption date, so the date is real: gather your certificates before you start a renewal. If you renewed before September 1, the old attest-and-audit process applied to that renewal.
One more correction to the viral post: SB 912 applies to every Texas health licensing board, and some of them did partner with third-party platforms (the Texas Medical Board uses CE Broker, for example). But if you see a claim that Texas nurses must sign up for CE Broker or any paid tracking service to renew, that is wrong for nursing.
What Doesn't Change At All
- Your CE requirements. Texas RNs and LVNs still need 20 contact hours per 2-year renewal cycle (or a board-approved national certification), with the same mandatory topics (jurisprudence and ethics every third renewal, HHSC-approved human trafficking prevention each cycle). SB 912 is about how the Board verifies CE, not how many hours you need.
- Your renewal cost. SB 912 bars the tracking system from costing the Board money to run, and no new nurse fee, account, or subscription is part of it.
The Timeline
- September 1, 2025: SB 912 took effect as law.
- By September 1, 2026: each Texas health licensing entity must have its CE tracking system in place.
- As of September 1, 2026: per the Board's CE Module page, you must document your CE in the Texas Nurse Portal before you can submit a renewal or reactivation. The implementing rule amendments (22 TAC Chapter 216) were listed as proposed in March 2026, but the Board publishes the requirement as operative regardless.
What to Do Now
Saving your certificates as you earn them is the safe move. The upload-before-renewal gate is now live, so the nurses it hurts are the ones who complete hours and lose the paperwork before renewal.
- Save every certificate the day you finish a course. Don't rely on an employer education system you lose access to when you change jobs.
- Keep your own records. The BON expects you to retain CE documentation, and the upload at renewal goes faster if your certificates are already in one place.
RenewRN's free tracker stores your CE entries against your Texas license so everything's in one place, and the Texas nursing license renewal guide tracks the board's rollout as the BON publishes specifics.
Sources
- Senate Bill 912, 89th Texas Legislature (2025). Enrolled text at capitol.texas.gov, adding Occupations Code Chapter 112
- Texas Board of Nursing, current continuing-education instructions and continuing-competency FAQ (bon.texas.gov): attest at renewal, submit documentation only if audited
- Texas Board of Nursing proposed rule amendments, 22 TAC Chapter 216 (Texas Register, March 2026): the implementing amendments, listed as proposed; the Board publishes the Sept 1 2026 requirement as operative
This page reflects the BON's published guidance as of September 1, 2026, the day the upload-before-renewal requirement took effect. Watch the rule-change log for updates, or add a Texas license in the tracker to get changes emailed to you.