[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1482-E1483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TITLE VIII NURSING WORKFORCE REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2016

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support to H.R. 2713, the 
``Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2015,'' which 
extends advanced education nursing grants to support clinical nurse 
specialist programs.
  Specifically, I am pleased that this legislation:
  Includes clinical nurse leaders as advanced education nurses, thereby 
making clinical nurse leader education programs eligible for advanced 
education nursing grants. (Clinical nurse leaders are advanced 
generalist clinicians who apply research and coordinate care in order 
to improve outcomes for patients.);
  Describes the clinical nurse specialist programs that are eligible 
for grants and federal aid;
  Reauthorizes funding for nursing programs by extending loan 
repayments and programs through 2020.
  H.R. 2713 will provide a general sum of money, as may be necessary, 
for the fiscal years 2016 through 2020, allowing Congress to 
appropriate funds as necessity arises.
  Importantly, this bill also includes a focus on comprehensive 
geriatric education, helping to ensure that our parents and 
grandparents are treated by knowledgeable and well educated personnel.
  Student debt has proven an increasing concern for nursing students as 
the price of programs grows steeper, while employment opportunities 
grow sparse.
  Of recent nursing school graduates in 2012 and 2013, more than 1/3 of 
borrowing students in the field were unemployed upon graduation, 
despite a national increase in general recent graduate employment.

[[Page E1483]]

  Additionally, 74 percent of recently graduated nursing students are 
straddled with loan repayment obligations, a number that is slightly 
higher than the 71 percent of all new recent graduates battling 
unsurmountable student debt.
  Providing nursing students with additional time to repay these loans 
is incredibly important, and I am happy to see this aspect of the bill 
renewed and increased.
  Within Houston, MD Anderson, Texas Children's Hospital, Memorial 
Hermann Hospital, and St. Joseph's are only a few of the medical 
centers in the city requiring skilled nurses.
  In 2011, nearly 22,000 vocational and registered nurses practiced 
within the city of Houston, making it the largest employer in the 
state.
  Supporting the nursing workforce in furtherance of advanced education 
is critical and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 
2713, the ``Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2015.''

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