Last progress April 10, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on April 10, 2025 by Lisa Blunt Rochester
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
This bill sets up a two-year pilot to build or strengthen nursing workforce centers in the states. These centers would study local nursing needs, help schools and hospitals plan for the right number of nurses, and test partnerships between the public and private sectors. The pilot must start within one year of the bill becoming law, and each grant would last two years . Grantees must chip in at least $1 for every $4 of federal funds. Eligible applicants include state agencies, boards of nursing, nonprofits, community groups, and schools of nursing. The government should spread grants across regions and favor groups with statewide reach and strong ties to nursing employers and schools . Centers could use funds to analyze workforce data, expand nursing school capacity, improve student support, plan with employers, and run programs to recruit and keep nurses, prepare for public health emergencies, and develop nurse leaders . The Secretary must report yearly on results and share lessons to reduce shortages, including in rural and underserved areas. Up to $1.5 million per year may be used for this work in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 .
The bill also strengthens a national effort to study the health workforce. It requires at least one grant to a group with deep nursing workforce expertise and allows that group to publish reports, evaluate the centers, and offer technical help and training. It must also maintain a public website with tools and resources to help centers collect and use standardized data on nurse supply, demand, and training .