[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14972]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORT THE LOAN FORGIVENESS ACT OF 2007

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, our country is facing 
a severe shortage of registered nurses. The situation is well-
documented. The Journal of the American Medical Association has stated 
that, without changes, the United States will have a shortage of more 
than 400,000 nurses by the year 2020. To date, there has been limited 
government action to address this very national need.
  Effective health care delivery relies on an adequate supply of well-
educated health care professionals, so this week I introduced H.R. 
2572, the Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007, to expand the supply and 
to help provide for the education of registered nurses, because nurses 
play a principal role in the health care delivery system in various 
settings, in hospitals, in home health agencies, in long-term care 
facilities, managed care centers and community health clinics.
  The Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act would forgive up to $17,000 in Federal 
loans over a 5-year period for people who have worked in a hospital at 
least 1 year. If they continue to work, they would be able to, over 
time, have that entire amount forgiven.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Congress has the ability to take action 
on this critical issue, and I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this very 
important legislation.

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