Sponsors (8)
The bill provides modest, time-limited federal funding and targeted salary supplements to recruit and retain nurse faculty—likely increasing nursing training capacity and aiding shortage areas—while imposing new reporting burdens, risking sustainability when subsidies end, and committing taxpayer funds without a long-term funding guarantee.
Nursing schools and students: receive salary supplements to recruit and retain nurse faculty, increasing faculty availability to train more nurses.
Nursing programs in shortage and vulnerable areas (e.g., rural communities, health professional shortage areas): get targeted support that can boost local nurse training and help address regional workforce gaps.
Schools and program administrators: gain multi-year federal funding certainty through an authorized $15M/year (FY2027–2031) to support program operations and planning.
Teachers, students, and local programs: face the risk that 3-year grant windows will end and faculty positions funded by subsidies may be lost if schools cannot secure sustainable follow-on funding.
Schools and students: program dollars directed primarily to faculty salaries may crowd out funding for other nursing school needs (facilities, simulation, student support) if institutions lack matching or ongoing funds.
Taxpayers: will finance $15M per year for up to five years, increasing federal spending without a guaranteed long-term sustainability plan beyond the authorization period.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a demonstration grant program to supplement nursing faculty salaries and reorganizes existing nurse faculty loan fund provisions to boost recruitment and retention.
Introduced January 30, 2026 by Suzanne Bonamici · Last progress January 30, 2026
Creates a federal demonstration grant program to supplement nursing faculty salaries for up to three years to improve recruitment and retention, and reorganizes existing nurse faculty loan fund provisions in the Public Health Service Act. The Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to make agreements with accredited nursing schools to establish student loan funds and to award grants to nursing schools that apply with specified salary, vacancy, and sustainability information.