Bill Name: Senate Bill 2696 (SB 2696)

Primary Sponsor: Senator Donna Campbell

Status: 06/02/2025 stalled in House Committee

AmSpa’s Take: There has been a national trend to create cosmetic medical specialty licenses that allow for non-medical persons to perform more invasive cosmetic procedures. These bills often face significant debate over the exact scope of the additional treatments, training and supervision. As a result, many bills of this type can become stuck in committee and fail to pass.

Analysis: Currently in Texas, as in most states, cosmetic medical procedures are considered the practice of medicine. Texas allows nurses and unlicensed medical assistants with appropriate training to perform many cosmetic medical treatments under the supervision and delegation of a physician, physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP). Before the treatments may be performed, the patient must have an examination and treatment plan created by a physician, PA or NP. If passed, SB 2696 would create an advanced cosmetic procedure license that would allow the holder to perform a number of cosmetic procedures.

Under an SB 2696 advanced cosmetic procedure license, an esthetician would be able to perform some treatments that pierce or damage the dermis, use medical devices, or inject prescription substances for cosmetic purposes. To obtain this license, a person would need to complete an approved training course and an examination. The bill does not provide details on the course, leaving it up to the licensing commission to determine. Additionally, the examination must include both written and practical sections. A person with this license would be required to disclose to clients which treatments and services they are authorized and not authorized to perform.

SB 2696 would allow licensees to perform treatments without the onsite supervision of a consulting physician. This section is unusual because it discusses the licensee working under written protocols with a physician but doesn’t provide any other provisions for what the protocols must cover or what the duties and responsibilities of the consulting physician are. It isn’t clear if a physician would still need to examine a patient and order treatments or prescribe medications or if the advanced cosmetic procedure license is meant to work semi-independently.

If you would like additional information, to read the language of this bill or to contact the sponsors or committee, you can find the information you need at this link: SB 2696.