Early voting for the November 3 elections began on October 19. The closely watched U.S. Senate race between Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and state Representative James Talarico (D) is capturing most of the headlines, but polls indicate a competitive contest for governor as well. Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott (R) is seeking a record fourth term against state Representative Gina Hinojosa (D). Also on the ballot are the offices of attorney general and lieutenant governor, along with all 150 state House seats and 16 of the 31 state Senate seats. 

Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) announced that all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Texas must now register for a free Propelus CE Broker account. This new mandate ensures compliance with the state's updated continuing education tracking requirements before their next license or registration renewal. 

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

The Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) Vendor Drug Program (VDP) held a Pharmacy Stakeholder meeting and shared the following updates.  

• Pharmacy Payment Information: VDP emphasized that pharmacies must maintain accurate physical addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and primary contacts in the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) Provider Enrollment and Management System. Direct deposit changes must be submitted using Form CPA 74-176. Keeping this information current matters because the Comptroller may purge a Texas identification number when no payment or voucher history exists for a full fiscal year.  

• Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs): VDP's planned addition of CGMs to the outpatient drug benefit remains delayed because CMS required pharmacies to enroll as DME suppliers. VDP is seeking removal of the DME requirement and is planning to submit a new state plan amendment (SPA) in November.  

• Temporary Non-Preferred Drug Rule: VDP implemented the rule required by HB 3286 (2023) that requires new drugs that are available on the formulary but have not yet been reviewed by the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) Board to receive temporary non-preferred status. The related Texas Administrative Code amendment was published in the Texas Register as of October 2 and became effective October 7. Pharmacy organizations should ensure that formulary-management and patient-support teams understand how this temporary status applies while new products await DUR Board review.  

• Usual and Customary: VDP is developing a Texas Administrative Code amendment to implement House Bill 2402 (2025), a law that excludes fees, charges or rates offered through monthly fee-based membership discount programs from the usual-and-customary fee calculation. VDP stated that the rule must remain limited to the statutory language and cannot extend to third-party discount cards; the exclusion applies only to qualifying membership discount programs.  

Also in Texas, VDP published an update to the VDP Pharmacy Provider Procedure Manual.  

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

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.