I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6768 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to carry out activities to establish, expand, and 
sustain a public health nursing workforce, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 13, 2023 
Ms. STANSBURY (for herself, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mrs. WATSON COLE-
MAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. ROBERT 
GARCIA of California, Ms. CARAVEO, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. FROST, Ms. 
WATERS, Ms. OMAR, Mr. COHEN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. LEE of California, 
Ms. CHU, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CARSON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, 
Mrs. PELTOLA, and Mr. CASAR) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out 
activities to establish, expand, and sustain a public health 
nursing workforce, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Health Nursing 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING WORKFORCE. 
Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘Subpart 4—Public Health Nursing Workforce 
‘‘SEC. 780. PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING WORKFORCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out ac-
tivities relating to establishing, expanding, and sustaining 
a public health nursing workforce, including by making 
grants to State, local, and territorial public health depart-
ments. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPART-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The recipient of a grant 
under subsection (a) shall use the grant funds for 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Costs, including wages and benefits, 
relating to the recruiting, hiring, and training 
licensed registered nurses— 
‘‘(i) to serve as public health nurses 
providing health care services and edu-
cation regarding preventive health, nutri-
tion, infectious diseases, chronic disease 
management, and maternal health, pre-
natal, and postpartum care in order to im-
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prove maternal and infant health out-
comes; 
‘‘(ii) who are employed by the State, 
territorial, or local public health depart-
ment involved, particularly in medically un-
derserved areas; and 
‘‘(iii) who work in public health facili-
ties, including mobile health clinics and 
acute care hospitals, or who provide home 
visitation. 
‘‘(B) Costs of medical supplies, including 
personal protective equipment, necessary to 
carry out the activities described in subpara-
graph (A). 
‘‘(C) Administrative costs and activities re-
lating to grant activities. 
‘‘(2) SUBGRANTS.—The recipient of a grant 
under subsection (a) may make subgrants to local 
health departments to be used for the activities de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In selecting recipients of grants 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to 
applicants that— 
‘‘(1) propose to serve— 
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‘‘(A) areas with populations that have a 
high rate of chronic disease, infant mortality, or 
maternal morbidity and mortality; 
‘‘(B) low-income populations, including 
medically underserved populations (as defined 
in section 330(b)); 
‘‘(C) populations residing in health profes-
sional shortage areas (as defined in section 
332(a)); 
‘‘(D) populations residing in maternity 
care health professional target areas identified 
under section 332(k); or 
‘‘(E) rural or traditionally underserved 
populations; 
‘‘(2) demonstrate a plan for providing services, 
to the maximum extent practicable, in the language 
and cultural context more appropriate to individuals 
expected to be served by the program; and 
‘‘(3) have a documented collective bargaining 
agreement with 1 or more labor organizations rep-
resenting employees of the applicant or have an ex-
plicit policy not to interfere with the rights of em-
ployees of the applicant under section 7 of the Na-
tional Labor Relations Act. 
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