109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4903
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of
the National Nurse.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 8, 2006
Mrs. CAPPS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish an Office of
the National Nurse.
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 `National Nurse Act of 2006'.
SEC. 2. AMENDING PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT WITH RESPECT TO THE OFFICE
OF THE NATIONAL NURSE.
Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following section:
`SEC. 1711. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL NURSE.
`(a) Establishment of Office- There is established within the Office of
Public Health and Science an office to be known as the Office of the National
Nurse, which shall be headed by an individual serving in a position to be
known as the National Nurse. The Secretary shall appoint a registered nurse
to serve in such position. The Secretary shall carry out this section acting
through the National Nurse.
`(b) Duties- The National Nurse shall--
`(1) carry out activities to encourage individuals to enter the nursing
profession, including providing education on the distinct role of nurses
in the health professions and examining nursing issues that would increase
public safety, such as issues relating to staff levels, working conditions,
and patient input;
`(2) carry out activities to encourage nurses to become educators in schools
of nursing;
`(3) carry out activities to promote the public health, including encouraging
nurses to be volunteers to projects that educate the public on achieving
better health; and
`(4) conduct media campaigns and make personal appearances for purposes
of paragraphs (1) through (3).
`(c) Annual Priorities on Achieving Better Health-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Each fiscal year the National Nurse shall designate four
methods of achieving better health that will be given priority by the
National Nurse in carrying out subsection (b)(3) (referred to in this
subsection as `annual health priorities'). The National Nurse shall designate
such priorities in consultation with the Surgeon General of the Public
Health Service, the heads of the agencies of such Service, the States,
and organizations that represent health professionals.
`(2) COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS-
`(A) IN GENERAL- In carrying out subsection (b)(3), the National Nurse
shall make grants to nonprofit private entities to carry out projects
for the purpose of educating the public on the annual health priorities,
including outreach activities in settings such as schools, senior centers,
and libraries.
`(B) STATE COORDINATORS; NURSE TEAMS- In making grants under subparagraph
(A), the National Nurse shall provide for the following with respect
to a State and particular communities in which activities under the
grant will be carried out:
`(i) The designation of an individual to coordinate such activities
within the State (referred to in this paragraph as the `State coordinator').
`(ii) Under the guidance of the State coordinator, the formation of
teams of nurses who volunteer to provide the education referred to
subparagraph (A), which teams are diverse and representative in terms
of educational level in the field of nursing and in terms of racial
and ethnic minority groups.
`(iii) The collection in such communities, in accordance with criteria
of the National Nurse, of data relating to the annual health priorities.
`(C) MEDIA CAMPAIGNS- The National Nurse shall ensure that media campaigns
under subsection (b)(4) include media campaigns regarding the annual
health priorities.
`(D) EVALUATIONS- The National Nurse shall, directly or through awards
of grants or contracts, evaluate projects under subparagraph (A) to
determine the extent to which the projects have been successful in carrying
out the purpose described in such subparagraph.
`(E) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION- The National Nurse shall--
`(i) disseminate information obtained in the evaluations under subparagraph
(D); and
`(ii) disseminate such other information obtained pursuant to projects
under subparagraph (A) as the National Nurse determines to be appropriate.
`(d) Authorization of Appropriations- For the purpose of carrying out this
section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.'.
END
