“Texas SB 912 forces nurses into a new mandatory CE registry”

What nurses hear

"Texas passed SB 912, so nurses now have to report all their CE to a new mandatory, maybe even national, tracking registry, and it's going to cost money."

The reality

SB 912 (Texas 89th Legislature; Occupations Code Chapter 112) is aimed at the Board, not at a private vendor. It requires the Texas Board of Nursing to build its own continuing-education tracking system and to verify CE compliance before it renews a license. It is a Texas state system, not a national registry and not a paid third-party service, and it does not change the number of CE hours you owe (still 20 contact hours per 2-year cycle for RNs). The part that is real, and that early alarmist posts got closer to than we did: the Board has now published operating instructions saying that beginning September 1, 2026, nurses renewing or reactivating a Texas license must document compliance through the CE Module in the Texas Nurse Portal BEFORE submitting the application, uploading documentation for each activity as PDF, PNG, JPG or JPEG. So the registry claim is still false, and the upload claim is now true with a date attached. If you are renewing before September 1, 2026 you still attest and show proof only if randomly audited.

Why this one spreads

• Social posts compressed a Board-side verification change into an alarming "mandatory national registry", which it is not.
• Confusion with the unrelated Texas "SB 12" bill added noise.
• The upload step really is coming on September 1, 2026 per the Board's own CE Module page, so posts warning about uploading were early rather than wrong. The registry framing is the part that stayed false.

The nuance that survives

• From September 1, 2026 you must document your CE through the CE Module in the Texas Nurse Portal BEFORE submitting your renewal or reactivation application. This is a hard gate at renewal, not a post-renewal audit.
• Renewals submitted before September 1, 2026 still work the old way: attest at renewal, produce proof only if you are selected for a random audit.
• The 22 TAC Chapter 216 amendments implementing this were still in proposed status in the March 2026 Texas Register. The Board's own CE Module page nonetheless states the September 1 requirement as operative, so plan for it rather than waiting on the rulemaking.
• The number of CE hours you owe is unchanged. SB 912 is about how the Board verifies CE, not how much you need.
• Keep digital copies of every CE certificate as you earn them, in PDF, PNG or JPG. Gathering two years of certificates at renewal is the thing that will catch people out.

Sources

Texas BON, CE Module information (states the September 1, 2026 document-before-renewal requirement)

Last verified: 2026-08-10

Texas BON, CE instructions

Last verified: 2026-07-24

Texas BON, continuing-competency FAQ

Last verified: 2026-07-24

Texas SB 912, enrolled bill text (Occ. Code Ch. 112)

Last verified: 2026-07-24

Texas BON, proposed rule changes (22 TAC 216, SB 912 implementation)

Last verified: 2026-07-24

Frequently asked questions

Is SB 912 a national CE registry?

No. It directs the Texas Board of Nursing to build its own free state continuing-education tracking system. It is not national, and it is not a paid third-party service.

Do I have to upload my CE certificates now?

Not for a renewal you submit before September 1, 2026: until then you attest and only send proof if you are randomly audited. From September 1, 2026 onward, yes. The Board's CE Module page says you must document compliance in the Texas Nurse Portal before you can submit the renewal or reactivation application. Keep your certificates either way.

Does SB 912 change how many CE hours I need?

No. The hour requirements are unchanged (20 contact hours per 2-year cycle for RNs, or maintaining a board-approved national certification). SB 912 changes how the Board verifies CE, not how much you need.

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