To amend the Public Health Service Act to promote careers in nursing and diversity in the nursing workforce.

February 26, 2003

Mr. BACA (for himself, Ms. WOOLSEY, and Mr. MCNULTY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To amend the Public Health Service Act to promote careers in nursing and diversity in the nursing workforce.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Recruitment and Diversity in Nursing Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) The United States is experiencing a nursing shortage due to declining enrollment rates in education and nursing programs. The Federal Government has a substantial interest in addressing the nursing shortage, because the shortage affects the overall health and safety of patients receiving health care.

(2) The average age of nurses in the United States is 43.3. Unless the Congress takes affirmative measures, the shortage will only continue to worsen as nurses retire and leave the profession.

(3) Increasing access to nursing education for nontraditional students will result in more people entering the profession and thus combat the current nursing shortage and help to reduce the average age of nurses.

(4) Increasing the awareness of elementary and secondary school students about careers in nursing, through the use of nonprofit organizations, will assist in recruitment of nontraditional nursing students and thus combat the current nursing shortage and help to reduce the average age of nurses.

SEC. 3. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR NONTRADITIONAL NURSING STUDENTS.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- Section 846 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n) is amended--

(1) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), (g), (h), and (i) as subsections (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j), respectively; and

(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:

`(e) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall (for fiscal years 2004 and 2005) and may (for fiscal years thereafter) carry out a program of entering into contracts with nontraditional nursing students under which such students agree to serve as nurses for a period of not less than 2 years at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to provide to the students scholarships for attendance at accredited schools of nursing.

`(2) NONTRADITIONAL NURSING STUDENT- In this subsection, the term `nontraditional nursing student' means an individual who--

`(A) belongs to a group that is underrepresented among registered nurses, including socially disadvantaged individuals and males; and

`(B) is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in an accredited school of nursing.

`(3) ADVANCED DEGREE PROGRAMS- The Secretary shall ensure that not more than 25 percent of the contracts entered into under this subsection are for scholarships for training in advanced degree programs (as that term is used in section 811).

`(4) SERVICE REQUIREMENT-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may not enter into a contract with a nontraditional nursing student under this subsection unless the student agrees to serve as a nurse at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses for a period of full-time service of not less than 2 years, or for a period of part-time service in accordance with subparagraph (B).

`(B) PART-TIME SERVICE- A nontraditional nursing student may complete the period of service described in subparagraph (A) on a part-time basis if the student has a written agreement that--

`(i) is entered into by the facility and the student and is approved by the Secretary; and

`(ii) provides that the period of obligated service will be extended so that the aggregate amount of service performed will equal the amount of service that would be performed through a period of full-time service of not less than 2 years.

`(5) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS- The provisions of subpart III of part D of title III shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to the program established in paragraph (1) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established in such subpart.'.

(b) PREFERENCE BASED ON FINANCIAL NEED- Section 846(f) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n) (as redesignated by subsection (a)(1)) is amended by striking `under subsection (a) or (d)' and inserting `under subsections (a), (d), and (e)'.

(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Subsection (j) of section 846 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n) (as redesignated by subsection (a)(1)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (1)--

(A) by striking `For the purpose of' and inserting the following:

`(A) For the purpose of'; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

`(B) For the purpose of carrying out subsection (e), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2008, except that funds may be appropriated for such purpose for a fiscal year only if the amount of such funds will be sufficient for the Secretary to enter into agreements that year under subsection (e) with not less than 250 nontraditional nursing students.'; and

(2) in paragraph (2), by striking `amounts appropriated under paragraph (1)' and inserting `amounts appropriated under paragraph (1)(A)'.

SEC. 4. PROMOTING AND RECRUITING NURSES THROUGH ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL INITIATIVES.

Part H of title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297w et seq.) is amended--

(1) by amending the part heading to read as follows:

`PART H--PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RECRUITING';

and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`SEC. 853. PROMOTING AND RECRUITING NURSES THROUGH ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL INITIATIVES.

`(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall (for fiscal years 2004 and 2005) and may (for fiscal years thereafter) make grants to eligible entities to carry out nursing awareness and recruitment programs in elementary schools and secondary schools.

`(b) USE OF FUNDS- The Secretary may not make a grant to an applicant under this subsection unless the applicant agrees--

`(1) to use the grant to promote careers in nursing by carrying out nursing awareness and recruitment programs in elementary and secondary schools, of which at least 50 percent must have a high percentage of nontraditional students; and

`(2) in carrying out such programs, to encourage increasing the diversity of the nursing profession by presenting a diverse image of nursing inclusive of nontraditional students.

`(c) DURATION OF GRANT- The Secretary may not make a grant under this section for a period of more than 3 years.

`(d) REPORT- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report describing the programs carried out with grants under this section, including the following:

`(1) The number of grant recipients.

`(2) The number of schools visited.

`(3) The total amount in grants awarded.

`(4) The educational institutions that received visits.

`(5) To the extent that it can be determined, the number of students who have an increased interest in nursing.

`(6) The educational methods used by grant recipients to encourage a diverse image of nursing.

`(7) The demographics of the schools and students participating in the nursing awareness programs.

`(8) Not later than 10 years after the date of enactment of this section, the percentage and number of individuals from the visited schools entering nursing careers in comparison to such percentage and number before the visits.

`(9) An evaluation of the overall costs and benefits of the programs.

`(e) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this section:

`(1) The terms `elementary school' and `secondary school' have the meanings given to those terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

`(2) The term `eligible entity' means any public or private nonprofit organization involved in nursing issues, any other public or private nonprofit organization approved by the Secretary, any school of nursing, any nursing center, any academic health center, and any State or local government.

`(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2008.'.

END