To create a pilot program to increase the number of graduate educated nurse faculty to meet the future need for qualified nurses, and for other purposes.

Summary: Nurse Faculty Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Secretary of Education to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, partnerships composed of an accredited school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital or other health facility to establish pilot projects to enable such a facility to retain its staff of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these individuals become faculty members of such a school. Requires such individuals to teach for two years for each year of support received under the program.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nurse Faculty Higher Education 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) In their 2006-2007 survey of 722 schools of nursing 
        with baccalaureate and graduate programs, the American 
        Association of Colleges of Nursing found that U.S. nursing 
        schools turned away 42,866 qualified applicants. The National 
        League for Nursing (NLN) released a preliminary report on 
        December 9, 2005 which estimated that schools of nursing with 
        entry-level baccalaureate, associate, and diploma programs were 
        forced to reject more than 147,000 qualified applications for 
        2005.   This was an 18 percent increase over last year's 
        figures.
            (2) In 2006, the mean ages of doctorally prepared nurse 
        faculty holding the ranks of professor, associate professor, 
        and assistant professor are 58.6, 55.8, and 51.6 respectively. 
        For master's degree-prepared nurse faculty, the average ages 
        for professors, associate professors, and assistant professors 
        were 56.5, 54.8, and 50.1 years, respectively.
            (3) The average age at retirement of nurse faculty is 62.5 
        years and it is expected that 200 to 300 doctorally prepared 
        faculty will be eligible for retirement each year from 2007 
        through 2012 just as more than 1 million replacement nurses 
        will be needed.
            (4) The current faculty shortage will be greatly compounded 
        in the next few years by the retirement of many of the current 
        nurse faculty in the United States. Without sufficient nurse 
        faculty, schools of nursing cannot expand enrollments, and the 
        nursing shortage will continue to cripple our nation's health 
        care delivery system.
            (5) Nursing salaries for faculty are not competitive when 
        compared to similarly educated nurses in clinical or 
        administrative positions, as the average salary of a master's 
        prepared nurse faculty member in 2005 was $66,925 compared to 
        $84,835 for a master's prepared nurse practitioner working in 
        an emergency department.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    Title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1133 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new part:

                 ``PART E--NURSE FACULTY PILOT PROJECT

``SEC. 771. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are to create a pilot program--
            ``(1) to provide scholarships to qualified nurses in 
        pursuit of an advanced degree with the goal of becoming faculty 
        members in an accredited nursing program; and
            ``(2) to provide grants to partnerships between accredited 
        schools of nursing and hospitals or health facilities to fund 
        release time for qualified nurse employees, so that those 
        employees can earn a salary while obtaining an advanced degree 
        in nursing with the goal of becoming nurse faculty.

``SEC. 772. ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) Competitive Grants Authorized.--The Secretary may, on a 
competitive basis, award grants to, and enter into contracts and 
cooperative agreements with, partnerships composed of an accredited 
school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital 
or health facility to establish not more than 5 pilot projects to 
enable such hospital or health facility to retain its staff of 
experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these 
individuals become, through an accelerated nursing education program, 
faculty members of an accredited school of nursing.
    ``(b) Duration; Evaluation and Dissemination.--
            ``(1) Duration.--Grants under this part shall be awarded 
        for a period of 3 to 5 years.
            ``(2) Mandatory evaluation and dissemination.--Grants under 
        this part shall be primarily used for evaluation, and 
        dissemination to other institutions of higher education, of the 
        information obtained through the activities described in 
        section 771(2).
    ``(c) Considerations in Making Awards.--In awarding grants and 
entering into contracts and cooperative agreements under this section, 
the Secretary shall consider the following:
            ``(1) Geographic distribution.--Providing an equitable 
        geographic distribution of such grants.
            ``(2) Rural and urban areas.--Distributing such grants to 
        urban and rural areas.
            ``(3) Range and type of institution.--Ensuring that the 
        activities to be assisted are developed for a range of types 
        and sizes of institutions of higher education.
            ``(4) Prior experience or exceptional programs.--
        Institutions of higher education with demonstrated prior 
        experience in providing advanced nursing education programs to 
        prepare nurses interested in pursuing a faculty role.
    ``(d) Uses of Funds.--Funds made available by grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under this part may be used--
            ``(1) to develop a new national demonstration initiative to 
        align nursing education with the emerging challenges of 
        healthcare delivery; and
            ``(2) for any one or more of the following innovations in 
        educational programs:
                    ``(A) to develop a clinical simulation laboratory 
                in a hospital, health facility, or accredited school of 
                nursing;
                    ``(B) to purchase distance learning technologies;
                    ``(C) to fund release time for qualified nurses 
                enrolled in the graduate nursing program;
                    ``(D) to provide for faculty salaries; and
                    ``(E) to collect and analyze data on educational 
                outcomes.

``SEC. 773. APPLICATIONS.

    ``Each partnership desiring to receive a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under this part shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
information as the Secretary may require. Each application shall 
include assurances that--
            ``(1) the individuals enrolled in the program will be 
        qualified nurses in pursuit of a master's or doctoral degree in 
        nursing and have a contractual obligation with the hospital or 
        health facility that is in partnership with the institution of 
        higher education;
            ``(2) the hospital or health facility of employment would 
        be the clinical site for the accredited school of nursing 
        program;
            ``(3) individuals will also maintain their employment on a 
        part time basis to the hospital or health facility that allowed 
        them to participate in the program, and will receive an income 
        from the hospital or health facility, as a part time employee, 
        and release times or flexible schedules to accommodate their 
        class schedule.
            ``(4) upon completion of the program, individuals agree to 
        teach for 2 years in an accredited school of nursing for each 
        year of support the individual received under this program; and

``SEC. 774. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated for this part not more 
than $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary 
for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.

``SEC. 775. DEFINITION.

    ``For purposes of this part, the term `health facility' means an 
Indian Health Service health service center, a Native Hawaiian health 
center, a hospital, a Federally qualified health center, a rural health 
clinic, a nursing home, a home health agency, a hospice program, a 
public health clinic, a State or local department of public health, a 
skilled nursing facility, or ambulatory surgical center.''.