[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2355. Mr. JONES submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill H.R. 5515, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2019 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 7__. STUDY ON USE OF ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS IN NURSING 
                   WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                   AND DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Ensuring that the United States has an adequate number 
     of trained nurses with the skills needed to provide special 
     care for our active duty members of the Armed Forces and 
     veteran population suffering from post-traumatic stress 
     disorder and other unique health care needs is essential to 
     maintaining readiness of the Armed Forces.
       (2) The United States faces a serious challenge to meet the 
     workforce needs to care for active duty members of the Armed 
     Forces and veterans with special health care needs. Assessing 
     the role of academic partnerships in meeting the challenge of 
     ensuring that a pipeline of skilled nurses enter the 
     workforce of the Department of Defense, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and public health is essential to 
     establishing an effective national policy for nursing 
     workforce development.
       (3) There are a number of programs outside the Department 
     of Defense that reinforce the special workforce training 
     needs of members of the Armed Forces and veterans that should 
     be included in a broader analysis of workforce development 
     issues, including initiatives of the Health Resources and 
     Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human 
     Services.
       (4) The workforce development framework for medical doctors 
     entering service for the Department of Defense and the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs should serve as a frame of 
     reference for best practices in developing a similar nursing 
     workforce pipeline.
       (b) Study.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, may conduct a study 
     on improving the use of academic partnerships in nursing 
     workforce development by the Department of Defense and the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (2) Elements.--The study conducted under paragraph (1) 
     shall include the following:
       (A) An assessment and definition of best practices for 
     training of nurses and patient care by nurses.
       (B) An identification of the impact of academic 
     affiliations and partnerships in nursing education and 
     nursing workforce development on the quality of care received 
     by active duty members of the Armed Forces and veterans with 
     respect to their special health care needs.
                                 ______