Sponsors (2)
The bill directs $1 billion to expand nursing education capacity and improve training, especially for underserved communities and modernized clinical preparation, in exchange for increased federal spending, potential uneven distribution of benefits, and administrative and implementation risks.
Students from disadvantaged, underrepresented, rural, low-income, and first-generation backgrounds gain expanded enrollment and retention supports, increasing access to nursing education.
Nursing schools can hire and retain more faculty, including underrepresented faculty, reducing faculty shortages and increasing the number of nurses trained.
Hospitals, clinics, and community health centers gain stronger clinical partnerships and more preceptors, expanding clinical training sites and improving the local healthcare workforce pipeline.
Taxpayers will fund a $1 billion authorization, increasing federal spending that could be drawn from other priorities.
Program impact depends on implementation; without strong oversight funds may not yield measurable workforce increases or equitable distribution of benefits.
Prioritizing underserved, HPSA, minority-serving, and rural institutions means some non-priority schools and their students may receive less or no funding.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HRSA grants (with $1B authorized) to expand nursing faculty and student capacity, modernize education, and build pandemic/public-health preparedness.
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in increasing the number of nursing students and faculty and in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Lauren Underwood · Last progress December 11, 2025
Authorizes HRSA to award grants to schools of nursing to expand student enrollment and faculty hiring, modernize education (including simulation, AR, and telehealth), strengthen clinical partnerships, and build capacity for public health emergency and pandemic response. The program gives priority to institutions serving medically underserved areas, health professional shortage areas, certain minority-serving institutions, and rural or noncontiguous States/territories. Provides $1,000,000,000 authorized to carry out the program (available until expended), requires annual recipient reports and a public report to Congress within five years on program outcomes and recommendations, and permits the Secretary to seek geographic equity when awarding grants.