[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1482 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1482
To amend the Public Health Service Act to support and stabilize the
existing nursing workforce, establish programs to increase the number
of nurses, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 10, 2025
Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Merkley, and Mr.
Cramer) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to support and stabilize the
existing nursing workforce, establish programs to increase the number
of nurses, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Nursing Workforce Center
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. STATE NURSING WORKFORCE CENTERS.
Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq.)
is amended--
(1) by redesignating part G (42 U.S.C. 295j et seq.) as
part H; and
(2) by inserting after part F the following new part:
``PART G--NURSING WORKFORCE CENTERS
``SEC. 785. STATE AND REGIONAL NURSING WORKFORCE CENTER DATA COLLECTION
PILOT PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary may carry out a 2-year pilot
program to establish new or enhance existing State-based nursing
workforce centers, evaluate the impact of State-based nursing workforce
centers on outcomes, and assess the feasibility of nursing workforce
public-private partnerships. The Secretary shall begin implementation
of such pilot program not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of the National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025 .
``(b) Grant Terms.--
``(1) Term.--The term of a grant awarded under the pilot
program under subsection (a) shall be 2 years.
``(2) Matching requirement.--As a condition on receipt of a
grant under the pilot program under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall require the applicant to agree, with respect to
costs to be incurred by the applicant in carrying out the
activities funded through the grant, to make available non-
Federal contributions (in cash or in kind) toward such costs in
an amount that is equal to not less than $1 for each $4 of
Federal funds provided through the grant. Such contributions
may be made directly or through donations from public or
private entities.
``(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an entity shall be--
``(1) a State agency;
``(2) a State board of nursing;
``(3) an organization that is exempt from taxation under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Act of 1986;
``(4) a community-based organization;
``(5) a school of nursing (as defined in section 801); or
``(6) another type of school or program determined by the
Secretary to be an eligible entity for purposes of this
section.
``(d) Equitable Distribution.--In awarding grants under this
section, the Secretary shall ensure, to the greatest extent possible,
that such grants are equitably distributed among the geographical
regions of the United States.
``(e) Priority.--In selecting the eligible entity to be awarded a
grant under this section for a nursing workforce center in a particular
State, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
``(1) propose to provide statewide services;
``(2) have expertise in the State's nursing workforce
issues;
``(3) have a history of convening entities to address
nursing workforce issues; and
``(4) have partnerships with entities that traditionally
educate and employ the State's nurses.
``(f) Use of Funds.--A nursing workforce center supported under
this section may use funds provided under this section for the
following statewide activities:
``(1) Conducting comprehensive analysis of and research
on--
``(A) existing State nursing workforce data and
gaps in such data;
``(B) 2- and 4-year nursing education programs,
including with respect to--
``(i) faculty capacity and pay;
``(ii) enrollment, retention, and
graduation;
``(iii) services for nursing students and
the outcomes of such services;
``(iv) facility needs; and
``(v) clinical placement capacity;
``(C) State-specific scholarships, grants, and
financial aid; and
``(D) factors contributing to retention and
recruitment challenges and to nurses leaving the
workplace or profession.
``(2) Conducting strategic nursing workforce planning with
employers across all work settings and nursing education.
``(3) Conducting focused research on trends in nursing
shortages, including the fiscal and clinical outcomes of
contract nursing.
``(4) Establishing and implementing programs to--
``(A) support and retain faculty to increase
enrollment in schools of nursing;
``(B) recruit and retain nurses in all settings
where nurses practice;
``(C) support leadership development;
``(D) prepare the nursing workforce to address
social determinants of health and health inequities;
``(E) prepare nurses for public health crisis and
pandemic response; and
``(F) assist individuals in obtaining education and
training required to enter the nursing profession, and
advance within such profession, such as by providing
career counseling and mentoring.
``(g) Reports.--Not later than one year after the date on which the
first grant is awarded under the pilot program under subsection (a),
and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a
report on the grants awarded under such pilot program during the year
covered by the report. Each such report shall include--
``(1) a description of initiatives to study the unique
characteristics of State nursing workforces, and efforts to
increase the number of new nurses, recruit nurses to the
nursing profession, and retain nurses in the workplace;
``(2) impact data on nurses served by nursing workforce
centers, including demographic information of the individuals
served, the number of such individuals, and the types of
services provided;
``(3) the effectiveness of establishing formal public-
private relationships for purposes of understanding the
national nursing workforce through improved data collection and
standardization;
``(4) data on continuous evaluation and quality
improvement, and other relevant data as determined by the
Secretary; and
``(5) the Secretary's recommendations and best practices
for--
``(A) reducing shortages among different nursing
specialties;
``(B) reducing shortages in rural and underserved
areas;
``(C) improving geographical distribution of the
nursing workforce; and
``(D) reducing shortages among different types of
nursing employers.
``(h) Funding.--From the amounts appropriated to the Health
Resources and Services Administration for workforce initiatives, the
Secretary may use up to $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 and
2027 for purposes of carrying out this section.''.
SEC. 3. STATE AND REGIONAL CENTERS FOR HEALTH WORKFORCE ANALYSIS.
(a) Expansion of Covered Programs.--Section 761(c)(1)(A) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294n(c)(1)(A)) is amended by
striking ``under this title'' and inserting ``under this Act''.
(b) Analysis and Technical Assistance.--Section 761(c) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294n(c)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(3) Minimum requirement.--At least one grant or contract
awarded under this subsection may be awarded to an eligible
entity that demonstrates--
``(A) a mission to advance and support the nursing
workforce;
``(B) experience and expertise in guiding State-
level nursing workforce centers;
``(C) experience in working with nursing workforce
data;
``(D) expertise in analytical methods and tools
appropriate for nursing workforce research; and
``(E) awareness of emerging topics, issues, and
trends related to the nursing workforce.
``(4) Analysis and reporting.--Analysis and reporting
carried out pursuant to a grant or contract under this
subsection may include--
``(A) collaborating with nursing workforce centers
to produce or deliver, with respect to the supply of
nurses, the demand for nurses, and the capacity to
educate and train the nursing workforce--
``(i) regional and national reports;
``(ii) articles in peer-reviewed journals;
``(iii) presentations at national and
international conferences and meetings; and
``(iv) policy briefs, fact sheets,
articles, blogs, and other publications
available in the public domain;
``(B) evaluating the programs and activities of the
nursing workforce centers overall;
``(C) developing evidence-based or evidence-
informed strategies and best practices to alleviate
nursing workforce shortages across States and regions;
and
``(D) conducting rapid data analysis and short-
term, issue-specific research.
``(5) Technical assistance.--Technical assistance provided
pursuant to this subsection may include--
``(A) providing technical assistance to nursing
workforce centers on the collection, analysis, and
reporting of standardized supply, demand, and education
and training data to inform analysis conducted pursuant
to this subsection;
``(B) collaborating with nursing workforce centers
to identify and deliver evidence-based or evidence-
informed strategies to alleviate nursing shortages and
the maldistribution of nurses;
``(C) providing online and in-person training
opportunities for nurses and other staff at nursing
workforce centers; and
``(D) developing and maintaining a website that--
``(i) is accessible to grant and contract
recipients under section 785 and this section;
``(ii) supports resources for the provision
of technical assistance under this section,
such as--
``(I) evidence-based or evidence-
informed educational materials, tools,
recent findings of interest, and links
to relevant resources; and
``(II) logistical and
administrative information, such as
online trainings, webinars, and
publications; and
``(iii) includes a publicly accessible
repository of webinars, tools, and resources.
``(6) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `nursing
workforce center' means a nursing workforce center funded under
section 785.''.
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