Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Stop Nurse Shortages Act”.
Stop Nurse Shortages Act
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to increase access to accelerated nursing degree programs, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Accelerated nursing degree program
in paragraph (1), by striking “or” at the end;
in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; or”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(3) creating, expanding, or supporting an accelerated nursing degree program at a school of nursing (including by hiring and retaining faculty and preceptors, increasing the number of clinical training sites, and offering student financial assistance) to increase the number of graduating nurses, including graduates who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses).”
Authorization of appropriations— Section 871 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 298d) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Accelerated nursing degree programs—In addition to amounts made available under paragraph (1), for the purpose of carrying out section 831(a)(3), there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.”
Report to Congress— Not later than 4 years after the date on which the first grant or contract is made under paragraph (3) of section 831(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296p(a)), as added by subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on—
the number of nursing students, disaggregated by grantee, who enrolled at institutions receiving grants under such paragraph (3);
the number of nursing students who graduated from such institutions; and
the number of accelerated nursing degree programs established by such grants.