NACDS and the Texas Federation of Drug Stores (TFDS) are launching a series of three Advocacy Training sessions in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin. These events are designed to empower Texas pharmacists, technicians and interns to become influential voices at the Capitol ahead of the pivotal 2027 legislative session. With both in-person and virtual participation options, attendees will gain insider knowledge and actionable strategies on the most pressing pharmacy issues—building critical advocacy skills and a powerful professional network.

Also in Texas, the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Health, Rep. Gary Van Deaver (R), who wasn’t seeking a 7^th term, suddenly resigned from the Texas House of Representatives this week to take a position as the new Executive Director of the Texas Association of School Boards.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

NACDS sponsored the Texas Public Policy Foundation's (TPPF) Healthcare Symposium, underscoring the association's continued engagement in advancing healthcare and pharmacy policy in Texas. NACDS Board of Directors member Kevin Host, Senior Vice President of Pharmacy at Walmart, participated on the "Texas Challenges" panel, bringing an important pharmacy perspective to the discussion. NACDS continues to advocate for policies that recognize and expand pharmacists' ability to provide essential healthcare services, helping patients access convenient, community-based care and leveraging pharmacies more fully to improve healthcare access, affordability and efficiency.  

Also in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) office confirmed that routine pharmacist-patient medication consultations conducted by telephone are not considered telehealth services under the intent of a new state telehealth law. As a result, these standard consultations will not be subject to recently adopted telehealth rule requirements, including patient informed consent documentation and related recordkeeping obligations, preserving existing pharmacy practice and avoiding additional compliance burdens. The governor's office directed the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to issue formal written guidance confirming this interpretation, which will also ensure no changes to inspection or enforcement practices related to audio-based medication counseling. Texas Federation of Drug Stores lobbyist Janis Carter, Nicole Kralj with Walgreens, and HEB pharmacists Doug Read and Roxi Afshar engaged with the Governor's Office and bill authors to help secure this favorable outcome for Texas pharmacy patients and providers. 

Also in Texas, the Nutrition Advisory Committee (TNAC) published an annual report with nutritional guidelines created by Texans for Texans. SB 25, legislation passed in 2025, created TNAC with members appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott. In addition to establishing the committee, SB 25 expands physical education in elementary and middle school, enhances nutrition education at all levels and requires food manufacturers to label foods that contain certain ingredients. 

Also in Texas, as required by SB 1 passed in 2025, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) issued a report on Opioid Use Disorder expenditures.  

Finally in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) submitted its Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) for fiscal years 2028-29 to the Office of the Governor's Budget and Policy Division and the Legislative Budget Board, detailing funding priorities, identifying exceptional item needs for state leadership and legislative consideration and reflecting the required 3% reduction to the base budget.  

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

The House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability held a hearing this week with invited testimony only on ways to lower health care costs while maintaining access and quality. Discussions covered innovative delivery and financing models, flexible and affordable health plan design, and policies to help small and mid-sized employers offer more coverage. Lawmakers also explored ways to improve cost and quality transparency to help consumers make informed choices. The interim hearings guide future legislative recommendations to improve affordability, access, and sustainability in Texas healthcare.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Effective August 24, the Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) transitioned the Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Portal, along with several online portal applications, to the TMHP IAMOnline platform as the new entry point for accessing applications on the TMHP webpage. The training materials are now available on the TMHP Learning Management System (LMS).

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) launched an investigation into the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) over concerns that the organization may be promoting and recommending childhood vaccines for financial gain.

Also in Texas, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Health Professions Resource Center (HPRC) recently updated the Supply Table and Factsheets dashboards to include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

• Texas Health Data – Health Profession Supply
• Texas Health Data – Health Profession Fact Sheets

Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy’s July 2026 newsletter includes articles on shipping prescription drugs to a patient out of state and new CE tracking requirements.

Also in Texas, the next Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Advisory Committee is meeting August 28 on Zoom.

Finally, in Texas, the DSHS Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission was updated,

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

On July 22, Nurse Practitioners (TNP) filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Texas' physician delegation of collaborative practice requirements for nurse practitioners. The plaintiffs are asking a Texas court to declare the current framework unconstitutional under the Texas Constitution's Due Course of Law Clause and private nondelegation doctrine. The lawsuit argues that Texas improperly requires licensed nurse practitioners to obtain permission from private physicians before exercising authorities already granted by the state. While pharmacists are regulated differently than nurse practitioners, a broad judicial ruling limiting the state's ability to condition practice authority on physician approval could influence future pharmacy policy debates on expanding patient access through pharmacist-provided clinical services. NACDS is monitoring the lawsuit.  

Also in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) announced a third round of interim charges for the Senate to address before the 2027 Legislative session. Pharmacy issues are in the January and March reports. 

• Interim charges – July 27, 2026 

• Interim charges – March 27, 2026 

• Interim charges – January 30, 2026 

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) Vendor Drug Program (VDP) Medicaid provided information on dispensing emergency prescriptions for the July flooding disaster declaration. 

Also in Texas, due to a potential supply gap, Sandoz is currently allocating brand-name Ritalin LA products, resulting in a product backorder. In response, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) temporarily removed the non-preferred status from certain generic Ritalin LA products on the preferred drug list (PDL). 

Also in Texas, the Texas Pharmacy Congress will meet on the campus of the Texas A&M College of Pharmacy on August 6-7. 

Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda for the August 4 meeting in Austin. 

Also in Texas, effective July 1, HHSC requires a prescription for dispensing at-home COVID-19 test kits through the outpatient drug benefit for people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. The change is due to the end of federal regulations requiring coverage of at-home COVID-19 test kits and applies to fee-for-service and managed care. There are no changes to the maximum limit of four test kits per month. 

Also in Texas, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Immunization Section is hosting a back-to-school webinar for the Vaccines for Children (TVFC) and Adult Safety Net (ASN) Program Providers on August 7 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am.  

Finally in Texas, Stephanie Stephens will assume the role of Chief Medicaid and CHIP Officer, also known as Medicaid Director, on August 15. Stephens will lead Medicaid and CHIP Services through the Sunset review and the legislative session while HHSC identifies a successor. She will succeed Emily Zalkovsky.  

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

In response to the heavy rains and floods in South Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) declared a state of emergency in 59 counties. The Board of Pharmacy issued guidance for emergency dispensing.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Pharmacy technicians may hold a national certification through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). The Board of Pharmacy reminds technicians that state and national renewal applications are separate processes. Renewing your registration with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) does not automatically renew your national certification. For state registration timelines, please verify your TSBP renewal deadline. 

Also in Texas, the Health and Humans Services Commission Vendor Drug Program Medicaid will publish the semi-annual Preferred Drug List (PDL) update on July 24. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

The Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth announced a leadership change at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Imelda Garcia, MPH, the current chief deputy commissioner at DSHS, will become the interim commissioner. Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, who has led DSHS since September 2022, was recruited by the Trump Administration to serve as the new Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy provided a summary of adopted and proposed rules from the May 5 board meeting. 

Also in Texas, the House Public Health Committee convened a hearing on June 4 to address several interim charges. Topics included the implementation and rulemaking of legislation passed in 2025 related to rural health care (HB 18) and health and nutrition standards (HB 25). Members received updates on the progress of the Rural Health Transformation Program. The committee also heard testimony regarding telehealth, with a focus on evaluating virtual care models and their effects on access, cost, quality and patient outcomes. Finally, the committee was briefed on Texas's current and projected healthcare workforce shortages. 

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) add all recommended adult vaccines to the Medicaid formulary as a payable pharmacy benefit beginning June 1. While adult vaccines were previously only covered under the Medicaid medical benefit, this rollout allows Medicaid to reimburse pharmacies for both the vaccine ingredient and administration costs for adults ages 19 years and older. To administer vaccines through the pharmacy benefit, a pharmacy must have an executed a Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) with a licensed provider serving as a standing order. If there is no CPA, the pharmacy must obtain a patient-specific prescription from the treating clinician before administering the vaccine. 

Also in Texas, the revised VDP Pharmacy Provider Procedure Manual, including information about benefits, policies and procedures for outpatient pharmacy claims and rebates, is now available. 

Also in Texas, the Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative released its revised business plan that was submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on June 1. 

Finally in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Jay Bueche to the Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative (TPI) Governing Board for a term set to expire on February 1, 2031. The Board is tasked with developing a business plan to provide cost effective drugs and other medical supplies for the public employee sector. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.