National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025

This bill works to grow and support the nursing workforce by creating a two-year pilot program to set up or expand state nursing workforce centers. The program must start within one year after the bill becomes law, and each grant lasts two years. Groups that apply must put in at least $1 of their own or donated funds for every $4 in federal funds. Eligible applicants include state agencies, state boards of nursing, nonprofits, community groups, and schools of nursing. Grants should be spread fairly across regions, with priority for groups that can serve statewide and have proven expertise and partnerships.

These centers can use funds to study nursing data and education capacity, plan with employers, research shortages, and run programs to recruit and keep nurses and faculty. They can also build leadership, prepare nurses for public health crises, address health inequities, and help people enter and advance in nursing with counseling and mentoring. The bill requires yearly reports to Congress on impact and best practices, and allows up to $1,500,000 in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to run the pilot .

The bill also strengthens national health workforce analysis by ensuring at least one grantee has deep nursing expertise. These groups work with state centers to publish reports, evaluate programs, develop strategies to ease shortages, and do rapid data projects. They also provide technical help, training, and an online hub with tools and a public resource library .

• Who is affected: Nurses, nursing students, nursing schools and faculty, hospitals and clinics, state agencies and boards .
• What changes: New/expanded state nursing workforce centers; statewide research and planning; programs to recruit and keep nurses and faculty; national analysis and technical help, including training and a public resource website; annual impact reports .
• When: Pilot starts within one year of enactment; each grant runs two years; funding is available for FY 2026–2027; annual reports begin one year after the first grant is awarded .