A bill to increase the nursing workforce.

Summary: Rural Nursing Promotion Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Nurse Distance Education Pilot Program through which grants may be awarded for activities to increase accessibility to nursing education in order to: (1) provide assistance to individuals in rural areas who want to study nursing to enable such individuals to receive appropriate nursing education; (2) promote the study of nursing at all educational levels; (3) establish additional slots for nursing students at existing nursing education programs; and (4) establish new nursing education programs at institutions of higher education.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) report to Congress on the source of newly licensed nurses and physical therapists in each state; (2) contract with the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine to determine the necessary level of federal investment under the Public Health Service Act to eliminate the domestic nursing and physical therapist shortage; and (3) collaborate with other agencies in working with the five countries from which the most nurses and physical therapists arrived to address health worker shortages caused by emigration.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt aliens seeking U.S. entry to perform labor in shortage occupations from worldwide and per-country numerical limitations through September 30, 2017. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide for a process to review and make a determination upon a petition filed for immigrant status for such an alien within 30 days.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Nursing Promotion Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NURSE DISTANCE EDUCATION PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
conjunction with the Secretary of Education, shall establish a Nurse 
Distance Education Pilot Program through which grants may be awarded 
for the conduct of activities to increase accessibility to nursing 
education.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Nurse Distance Education Pilot 
Program established under subsection (a) shall be to increase 
accessibility to nursing education to--
            (1) provide assistance to individuals in rural areas who 
        want to study nursing to enable such individuals to receive 
        appropriate nursing education;
            (2) promote the study of nursing at all educational levels;
            (3) establish additional slots for nursing students at 
        existing nursing education programs; and
            (4) establish new nursing education programs at 
        institutions of higher education.
    (c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the Pilot 
Program under subsection (a), an entity shall submit to the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services an application at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 3. INCREASING THE DOMESTIC SUPPLY OF NURSES AND PHYSICAL 
              THERAPISTS.

    (a) Not later than January 1, 2008, the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, in conjunction with the Secretary of Education, shall--
            (1) submit to Congress a report concerning the source of 
        newly licensed nurses and physical therapists in each State, 
        that shall include--
                    (A) for the most recent 3-year period for which 
                data is available--
                            (i) separate data relating to teachers at 
                        institutions of higher education for each 
                        related occupation who have been teaching for 
                        not more than 5 years; and
                            (ii) separate data relating to all teachers 
                        at institutions of higher education for each 
                        related occupation regardless of length of 
                        service;
                    (B) for the most recent 3-year period for which 
                data is available, separate data for each related 
                occupation and for each State;
                    (C) a description of the barriers to increasing the 
                supply of nursing faculty, domestically trained nurses, 
                and domestically trained physical therapists;
                    (D) separately identify those individuals receiving 
                their initial nursing license and those individuals 
                licensed by endorsement from another State;
                    (E) with respect to those individuals receiving 
                their initial nursing license in each year, a 
                description of the number of individuals who received 
                their professional education in the United States and 
                the number of individuals who received such education 
                outside the United States;
                    (F) to the extent practicable, a description, by 
                State of residence and country of education, of the 
                number of nurses and physical therapists who were 
                educated in any of the 5 countries (other than the 
                United States) from which the most nurses and physical 
                therapists arrived;
                    (G) recommendations of strategies to be utilized by 
                Federal and State governments that would be effective 
                in removing the barriers described in subparagraph (C), 
                including strategies that address barriers to 
                advancement to become registered nurses for other 
                health care workers, such as home health aides and 
                nurses assistants;
                    (H) recommendations for amendments to Federal laws 
                that would increase the supply of nursing faculty, 
                domestically trained nurses, and domestically trained 
                physical therapists;
                    (I) recommendations for Federal grants, loans, and 
                other incentives that would provide increases in nurse 
                educators and nurse training facilities, and other 
                measures to increase the domestic education of new 
                nurses and physical therapists;
                    (J) identify the effects of nurse emigration on the 
                health care systems in their countries of origin; and
                    (K) recommendation for amendments to Federal law 
                that would minimize the effects of health care 
                shortages in the countries of origin from which 
                immigrant nurses arrived;
            (2) enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine of 
        the National Academy of Sciences for the conduct of a study, 
        and submission of a report, to determine the level of Federal 
        investment under titles VII and VIII of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 and 296 et seq.) that is necessary 
        to eliminate the domestic nursing and physical therapist 
        shortage by the date that is not later than 7 years after the 
        date on which the report is submitted; and
            (3) collaborate with the heads of other Federal agencies, 
        as appropriate, in working with ministers of health or other 
        appropriate officials of the 5 countries from which the most 
        nurses and physical therapists arrived into the United States, 
        to--
                    (A) address health worker shortages caused by 
                emigration; and
                    (B) ensure that there is sufficient human resource 
                planning or other technical assistance needed to reduce 
                further health worker shortages in such countries.

SEC. 4. SHORTAGE OCCUPATIONS.

    (a) Exception to Direct Numerical Limitations.--Section 201(b)(1) 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(1)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(F)(i) During the period beginning on the date of 
                the enactment of the Rural Nursing Promotion Act and 
                ending on September 30, 2017, an alien--
                                    ``(I) who is described in section 
                                203(b); and
                                    ``(II) who is seeking admission to 
                                the United States to perform labor in 
                                shortage occupations designated by the 
                                Secretary of Labor for certification 
                                under section 212(a)(5)(A) due to the 
                                lack of sufficient United States 
                                workers able, willing, qualified, and 
                                available for such occupations and for 
                                which the employment of aliens will not 
                                adversely affect the terms and 
                                conditions of similarly employed United 
                                States workers.
                            ``(ii) During the period described in 
                        clause (i), the spouse or dependent of an alien 
                        described in clause (i), if accompanying or 
                        following to join such alien.''.
    (b) Exception to Nondiscrimination Requirements.--Section 
202(a)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1152(a)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``201(b)(2)(A)(i)'' and inserting 
``201(b)''.
    (c) Exception to Per Country Levels for Family-Sponsored and 
Employment-Based Immigrants.--Section 202(a)(2) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)), is amended by inserting ``, 
except for aliens described in section 201(b),'' after ``any fiscal 
year''.
    (d) Procedure for Granting Immigrant Status.--Section 204 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide a process 
for reviewing and making a determination upon a petition filed with 
respect to an alien described in section 201(b)(1)(F) not later than 30 
days after the date a completed petition has been filed for such 
alien.''.