[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NURSE LOAN FORGIVENESS ACT OF 2006

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, our country is facing 
an increasing nursing shortage. Currently, in California, we are one of 
the 30 States that faces significant shortages in full-time registered 
nurses. But by the year 2020, 44 States are expected to have 
significant nurse shortages. We are going to need more than 400,000 new 
nurses nationwide.
  We need to take immediate action to recruit and retain nurses for our 
Nation's medical facilities and address this critical shortage.
  Today I am introducing the Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act of 2006. This 
bill will help recruit and retain more nurses by providing financial 
incentives for students to enroll in and complete nursing programs. It 
would forgive up to $17,000 in Federal loans over a 5-year period for 
people who have been working for at least a year as a full-time 
registered nurse.
  It is time for us to take action and to address this ongoing nursing 
shortage. I urge my colleagues to help me and cosponsor this bill.

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