Findings

The Congress finds as follows: (1)Many States with rapidly-increasing populations have a serious shortage of nurses. (2)A new Federal program is needed to support State and private efforts to address the lack of capacity in schools of nursing at colleges and universities. (3)Such lack of capacity is the critical driving force behind the serious shortage of nurses. (4)The nursing shortage has a detrimental impact on the quality of care patients receive in health care settings, and plays a role in the rising costs of health care. (5)States that have established partnerships with educational institutions to develop strategies to address the nursing shortage, and that have allocated funds toward implementing the strategies, are well suited to make effective use of matching Federal funds.

Increasing number of qualified faculty at collegiate schools of nursing in States with significant shortages of nurses

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

Additional programs

861.

Increasing number of faculty at collegiate schools of nursing in States with significant shortages of nurses

(a)

In general

The Secretary may make grants to qualifying States for the purpose of carrying out activities to increase the number of faculty at collegiate schools of nursing in qualifying States in order to assist in alleviating the shortage of nurses in such States. (b)

Qualifying states

A State is a qualifying State for purposes of this section if the State meets the following conditions: (1)The population of the State increased by more than 50 percent between 1995 and 2005 (inclusive), according to data from the Bureau of the Census. (2)The State is projected to have fewer than 555 nurses per 100,000 State residents by 2020, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. (3)As of January 1, 2006, the State had a program in place to assist in increasing the number of faculty at collegiate schools of nursing. (c)

Uses of grants

(1)

In general

The purposes for which a grant under subsection (a) may be expended for a collegiate school of nursing include salaries, benefits, training, and related expenses for increasing the number of faculty, and other operational costs necessary to increase such number, relative to the average number of such faculty at the school for the fiscal year preceding the first fiscal year for which such a grant is made for the school. (2)

Limitation

A grant under subsection (a) may not be expended for any capital expenses. (d)

Maintenance of effort

A grant may be made under subsection (a) for a fiscal year only if the qualifying State involved, and each collegiate school of nursing for which the grant will be expended, agree to maintain expenditures at such school for the purpose described in subsection (a) at a level that is not less than the average level of such expenditures maintained by the State and the school, respectively, for such purpose for the five-year period preceding the first fiscal year for which a grant under subsection (a) is made with respect to the school. (e)

Reports to congress

For each fiscal year for which amounts are appropriated under subsection (f), the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report that identifies the collegiate schools of nursing with respect to which grants under subsection (a) have been made and that provides an evaluation of the extent to which the grants have been effective in carrying out the purpose described in subsection (a). (f)

Authorization of appropriations

For the purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2011.