[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 920 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 920

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 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.''.
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