[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3487 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3487

     To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to health 
          professions programs regarding the field of nursing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 13, 2001

Mr. Bilirakis (for himself, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Brown of Ohio, 
 Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Ehrlich, Mr. 
 Rush, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Burr of North Carolina, Mr. 
 John, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Towns, Ms. Hart, Mr. 
  McGovern, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. 
  Markey, Mr. LoBiondo, Mrs. Thurman, Ms. DeLauro, and Mr. Barrett of 
  Wisconsin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to health 
          professions programs regarding the field of nursing.

    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 ``Nurse Reinvestment Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING NURSING PROFESSION.

    Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

                 ``PART H--PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

``SEC. 851. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall develop and issue public 
service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing 
profession, highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and 
encourage individuals to enter the nursing profession.
    ``(b) Method.--The public service announcements described in 
subsection (a) shall be broadcast through appropriate media outlets, 
including television or radio, in a manner intended to reach as wide 
and diverse an audience as possible.

``SEC. 852. STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to eligible 
entities to support State and local advertising campaigns via 
appropriate media outlets to promote the nursing profession, highlight 
the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage individuals from 
disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the nursing profession.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
subsection (a) shall use funds received through such grant to acquire 
local television and radio time, place advertisements in local 
newspapers, and post information on billboards or on the Internet, in 
order to--
            ``(1) advertise and promote the nursing profession;
            ``(2) promote nursing education programs;
            ``(3) inform the public of public assistance regarding such 
        education programs;
            ``(4) highlight individuals in the community that are 
        presently practicing nursing in order to recruit new nurses; 
        and
            ``(5) provide any other information to recruit individuals 
        for the nursing profession.
    ``(c) Method.--The campaigns described in subsection (a) shall be 
broadcast on television or radio, or placed in newspapers as 
advertisements, or posted on billboards or the Internet, in a manner 
intended to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible.''.

SEC. 3. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIPS.

    (a) Loan Repayment Program; Additional Assignment Authorities.--
Section 846(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``in a public hospital,'' and 
                inserting ``in a public or private hospital (including 
                a critical access hospital or a rural hospital),''; and
                    (B) by inserting after ``rural health clinic,'' the 
                following: ``in a State or local department of public 
                health, in a skilled nursing facility, in a home health 
                agency, in a hospice program (including home settings), 
                in an ambulatory surgical center,''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``In the case of a 
        private entity that is not a nonprofit entity and is pursuant 
        to paragraph (3) eligible for an assignment of a nurse, the 
        Secretary may not assign a nurse to such an entity after the 
        expiration of the three-year period beginning on the date of 
        the enactment of the Nurse Reinvestment Act.''.
    (b) Establishment of Scholarship Program.--Section 846 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n) is amended--
            (1) in the heading for the section, by striking ``program'' 
        and inserting ``and scholarship programs'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (d), (f), (g), and (h) as 
        subsections (f), (h), (i), and (g), respectively;
            (3) by transferring subsections (f) and (g) (as so 
        redesignated) from their current placements, by inserting 
        subsection (f) after subsection (e), and by inserting 
        subsection (g) after subsection (f) (as so inserted); and
            (4) by inserting after subsection (c) the following 
        subsection:
    ``(d) Scholarship Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may carry out a program of 
        entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which 
        such individuals agree to serve as nurses in designated health 
        facilities in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing 
        to provide to the individuals scholarships for attendance at 
        schools of nursing.
            ``(2) Eligible individuals; designated health facilities.--
        For purposes of this subsection:
                    ``(A) The term `eligible individual' means an 
                individual who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment 
                as a full-time student in a school of nursing.
                    ``(B) The term `designated health facility' means 
                any entity that is eligible under subsection (a) for an 
                assignment of a nurse, subject to the provisions of 
                such subsection relating to private entities that are 
                not nonprofit entities.
            ``(3) Applicability of certain provisions.--With respect to 
        the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Repayment Program 
        established in subpart III of part D of title III, the 
        provisions of such subpart 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.''.
    (c) Preferences Regarding Participants.--Section 846(e) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n(e)) is amended in the matter 
preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``subsection (a)'' and inserting 
``subsection (a) or (d)''.
    (d) Definitions.--Section 846 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 297n) is amended in subsection (h) (as redesignated by 
subsection (b)(2) of this section) by amending the subsection to read 
as follows:
    ``(h) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) The term `ambulatory surgical center' has the meaning 
        applicable to such term under title XVIII of the Social 
        Security Act.
            ``(2) The term `community health center' has the meaning 
        applicable to such term under section 330.
            ``(3) The term `home health agency' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1861(o) of the Social Security Act.
            ``(4) The term `hospice program' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 1861(dd)(2) of the Social Security Act.
            ``(5) The term `migrant health center' has the meaning 
        applicable to such term under section 330.
            ``(6) The term `rural health clinic' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act.
            ``(7) The term `rural hospital' means a hospital located in 
        a rural area, as defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D) of the Social 
        Security Act.
            ``(8) The term `skilled nursing facility' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 1819(a) of the Social Security 
        Act.''.
    (e) Funding.--Section 846 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 297n) is amended in subsection (i) (as redesignated by 
subsection (b)(2) of this section) by amending the subsection to read 
as follows:
    ``(i) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--For the purpose of 
        payments under agreements entered into under subsection (a) or 
        (d), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 
        be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2007.
            ``(2) Allocations.--Of the amounts appropriated under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary may as determined appropriate by 
        the Secretary allocate amounts between the program under 
        subsection (a) and the program under subsection (d).''.

SEC. 4. STUDIES BY GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.

    (a) Hiring Differences Among Certain Private Entities.--The 
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to 
determine differences in the hiring of nurses by nonprofit private 
entities as compared to the hiring of nurses by private entities that 
are not nonprofit. In carrying out the study, the Comptroller General 
shall determine the effect of the inclusion of private entities that 
are not nonprofit in the program under section 846 of the Public Health 
Service Act. Not later than two years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Congress a 
report describing the findings of the study.
    (b) Nurse Faculty.--
            (1) Determination regarding shortage of faculty.--The 
        Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study 
        to determine whether and to what extent there is a shortage of 
        faculty for schools of nursing. Not later than June 30, 2002, 
        the Comptroller General shall submit to the Congress a report 
        describing the findings of the study.
            (2) Recommendations.--If the Comptroller General determines 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) that there is or will be a shortage 
        of faculty for schools of nursing, the Comptroller General 
        shall, not later than September 30, 2002, submit to the 
        Congress a report providing the recommendations of the 
        Comptroller General for developing scholarship programs, loan 
        repayment programs, private-public partnerships, or other 
        programs through the Department of Health and Human Services to 
        provide for an increase in the number of such faculty, 
        including recommendations on appropriate incentives for nurses 
        to become such faculty.
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