immigrants described in paragraph (1) not later 
than 30 days after the date on which a completed 
petition has been filed. 
‘‘(f) FEE FOR USE OF VISAS UNDER SUBSECTION 
(a).— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall impose a fee upon each petitioning 
employer who uses a visa provided under subsection 
(e) to provide employment for an alien as a profes-
sional nurse, except that— 
‘‘(A) such fee shall be in the amount of 
$1,500 for each such alien nurse (but not for 
dependents accompanying or following to join 
who are not professional nurses); and 
‘‘(B) no fee shall be imposed for the use of 
such visas if the employer demonstrates to the 
Secretary that— 
‘‘(i) the employer is a health care fa-
cility that is located in a county or parish 
that received individual and public assist-
ance pursuant to Major Disaster Declara-
tion number 1603 or 1607; or 
‘‘(ii) the employer is a health care fa-
cility that has been designated as a Health 
Professional Shortage Area facility by the 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
Secretary of Health and Human Services 
as defined in section 332 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). 
‘‘(2) FEE COLLECTION.—A fee imposed by the 
Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to para-
graph (1) shall be collected by the Secretary as a 
condition of approval of an application for adjust-
ment of status by the beneficiary of a petition or by 
the Secretary of State as a condition of issuance of 
a visa to such beneficiary.’’. 
(b) CAPITATION GRANTS TO INCREASE THE NUM-
BER OF NURSING FACULTY AND STUDENTS; DOMESTIC 
NURSING ENHANCEMENT ACCOUNT.—Part D of title VIII 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296p et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 832. CAPITATION GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose described in 
subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the Health 
Resources and Services Administration, shall award a 
grant each fiscal year in an amount determined in accord-
ance with subsection (c) to each eligible school of nursing 
that submits an application in accordance with this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—A funding agreement for a grant 
under this section is that the eligible school of nursing 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
involved will expend the grant to increase the number of 
nursing faculty and students at the school, including by 
hiring new faculty, retaining current faculty, purchasing 
educational equipment and audiovisual laboratories, en-
hancing clinical laboratories, repairing and expanding in-
frastructure, or recruiting students. 
‘‘(c) GRANT COMPUTATION.— 
‘‘(1) AMOUNT PER STUDENT.—Subject to para-
graph (2), the amount of a grant to an eligible 
school of nursing under this section for a fiscal year 
shall be the total of the following: 
‘‘(A) $1,800 for each full-time or part-time 
student who is enrolled at the school in a grad-
uate program in nursing that— 
‘‘(i) leads to a master’s degree, a doc-
toral degree, or an equivalent degree; and 
‘‘(ii) prepares individuals to serve as 
faculty through additional course work in 
education and ensuring competency in an 
advanced practice area. 
‘‘(B) $1,405 for each full-time or part-time 
student who— 
‘‘(i) is enrolled at the school in a pro-
gram in nursing leading to a bachelor of 
science degree, a bachelor of nursing de-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
gree, a graduate degree in nursing if such 
program does not meet the requirements of 
subparagraph (A), or an equivalent degree; 
and 
‘‘(ii) has not more than 3 years of 
academic credits remaining in the pro-
gram. 
‘‘(C) $966 for each full-time or part-time 
student who is enrolled at the school in a pro-
gram in nursing leading to an associate degree 
in nursing or an equivalent degree. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—In calculating the amount 
of a grant to a school under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary may not make a payment with respect to a 
particular student— 
‘‘(A) for more than 2 fiscal years in the 
case of a student described in paragraph (1)(A) 
who is enrolled in a graduate program in nurs-
ing leading to a master’s degree or an equiva-
lent degree; 
‘‘(B) for more than 4 fiscal years in the 
case of a student described in paragraph (1)(A) 
who is enrolled in a graduate program in nurs-
ing leading to a doctoral degree or an equiva-
lent degree; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(C) for more than 3 fiscal years in the 
case of a student described in paragraph 
(1)(B); or 
‘‘(D) for more than 2 fiscal years in the 
case of a student described in paragraph 
(1)(C). 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.—In this section, the term ‘eligible 
school of nursing’ means a school of nursing that— 
‘‘(1) is accredited by a nursing accrediting 
agency recognized by the Secretary of Education; 
‘‘(2) has a passage rate on the National Council 
Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses of not 
less than 80 percent for each of the 3 academic 
years preceding submission of the grant application; 
and 
‘‘(3) has a graduation rate (based on the num-
ber of students in a class who graduate relative to, 
for a baccalaureate program, the number of students 
who were enrolled in the class at the beginning of 
junior year or, for an associate degree program, the 
number of students who were enrolled in the class 
at the end of the first year) of not less than 80 per-
cent for each of the 3 academic years preceding sub-
mission of the grant application. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(e) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary may award a 
grant under this section to an eligible school of nursing 
only if the school gives assurances satisfactory to the Sec-
retary that, for each academic year for which the grant 
is awarded, the school will comply with the following: 
‘‘(1) The school will maintain a passage rate on 
the National Council Licensure Examination for 
Registered Nurses of not less than 80 percent. 
‘‘(2) The school will maintain a graduation rate 
(as described in subsection (d)(3)) of not less than 
80 percent. 
‘‘(3)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), 
the first-year enrollment of full-time nursing stu-
dents in the school will exceed such enrollment for 
the preceding academic year by 5 percent or 5 stu-
dents, whichever is greater. 
‘‘(B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to the 
first academic year for which a school receives a 
grant under this section. 
‘‘(C) With respect to any academic year, the 
Secretary may waive application of subparagraph 
(A) if— 
‘‘(i) the physical facilities at the school in-
volved limit the school from enrolling additional 
students; or 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(ii) the school has increased enrollment in 
the school (as described in subparagraph (A)) 
for each of the 2 preceding academic years. 
‘‘(4) Not later than 1 year after receiving a 
grant under this section, the school will formulate 
and implement a plan to accomplish at least 2 of the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Establishing or significantly expand-
ing an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing 
program designed to graduate new nurses in 12 
to 18 months. 
‘‘(B) 
Establishing 
cooperative 
intradisciplinary education among schools of 
nursing with a view toward shared use of tech-
nological resources, including information tech-
nology. 
‘‘(C) Establishing cooperative interdiscipli-
nary training between schools of nursing and 
schools of allied health, medicine, dentistry, os-
teopathy, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy, public 
health, or veterinary medicine, including train-
ing for the use of the interdisciplinary team ap-
proach to the delivery of health services. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(D) Integrating core competencies on evi-
dence-based practice, quality improvements, and 
patient-centered care. 
‘‘(E) Increasing admissions, enrollment, 
and retention of qualified individuals who are 
financially disadvantaged. 
‘‘(F) Increasing enrollment of minority and 
diverse student populations. 
‘‘(G) Increasing enrollment of new grad-
uate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate 
programs that educate nurse faculty members. 
‘‘(H) Developing post-baccalaureate resi-
dency programs to prepare nurses for practice 
in specialty areas where nursing shortages are 
most severe. 
‘‘(I) Increasing integration of geriatric con-
tent into the core curriculum. 
‘‘(J) Partnering with economically dis-
advantaged communities to provide nursing 
education. 
‘‘(K) Expanding the ability of nurse man-
aged health centers to provide clinical education 
training sites to nursing students. 
‘‘(5) The school will submit an annual report to 
the Secretary that includes updated information on 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
the school with respect to student enrollment, stu-
dent retention, graduation rates, passage rates on 
the National Council Licensure Examination for 
Registered Nurses, the number of graduates em-
ployed as nursing faculty or nursing care providers 
within 12 months of graduation, and the number of 
students who are accepted into graduate programs 
for further nursing education. 
‘‘(6) The school will allow the Secretary to 
make on-site inspections, and will comply with the 
Secretary’s requests for information, to determine 
the extent to which the school is complying with the 
requirements of this section. 
‘‘(f) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall 
evaluate the results of grants under this section and sub-
mit to Congress— 
‘‘(1) not later than 18 months after the date of 
the enactment of this section, an interim report on 
such results; and 
‘‘(2) not later than September 30, 2010, a final 
report on such results. 
‘‘(g) APPLICATION.—An eligible school of nursing 
seeking a grant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
containing such information and assurances as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In ad-
dition to the amounts in the Domestic Nursing Enhance-
ment Account, established under section 833, there are 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
‘‘SEC. 833. DOMESTIC NURSING ENHANCEMENT ACCOUNT. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
general fund of the Treasury a separate account which 
shall be known as the ‘Domestic Nursing Enhancement 
Account’. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
there shall be deposited as offsetting receipts into the ac-
count all fees collected under section 106(f) of the Amer-
ican Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 
2000 (Public Law 106–313; 8 U.S.C. 1153 note). Nothing 
in this subsection shall prohibit the depositing of other 
moneys into the account established under this section. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts collected under sec-
tion 106(f) of the American Competitiveness in the Twen-
ty-first Century Act of 2000, and deposited into the ac-
count established under subsection (a) shall be used by 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out 
section 832. Such amounts shall be available for obligation 
only to the extent, and in the amount, provided in advance 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
in appropriations Acts. Such amounts are authorized to 
remain available until expended.’’. 
(c) GLOBAL HEALTH CARE COOPERATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 317 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 317A. TEMPORARY ABSENCE OF ALIENS PROVIDING 
HEALTH CARE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall allow an eligible alien and the spouse or child of such 
alien to reside in a candidate country during the period 
that the eligible alien is working as a physician or other 
health care worker in a candidate country. During such 
period the eligible alien and such spouse or child shall be 
considered— 
‘‘(1) to be physically present and residing in the 
United States for purposes of naturalization under 
section 316(a); and 
‘‘(2) to meet the continuous residency require-
ments under section 316(b). 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(1) CANDIDATE
COUNTRY.—The term ‘can-
didate country’ means a country that the Secretary 
of State determines to be— 
‘‘(A) eligible for assistance from the Inter-
national Development Association, in which the 
per capita income of the country is equal to or 
less than the historical ceiling of the Inter-
national Development Association for the appli-
cable fiscal year, as defined by the International 
Bank for Reconstruction and Development; 
‘‘(B) classified as a lower middle income 
country in the then most recent edition of the 
World Development Report for Reconstruction 
and Development published by the International 
Bank for Reconstruction and Development and 
having an income greater than the historical 
ceiling for International Development Associa-
tion eligibility for the applicable fiscal year; or 
‘‘(C) qualified to be a candidate country 
due to special circumstances, including natural 
disasters or public health emergencies. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
ALIEN.—The term ‘eligible 
alien’ means an alien who— 
‘‘(A) has been lawfully admitted to the 
United States for permanent residence; and 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(B) is a physician or other healthcare 
worker. 
‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall consult with the Secretary of State in car-
rying out this section. 
‘‘(d) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary of State shall 
publish— 
‘‘(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this section, a list of candidate 
countries; 
‘‘(2) an updated version of the list required by 
paragraph (1) not less often than once each year; 
and 
‘‘(3) an amendment to the list required by 
paragraph (1) at the time any country qualifies as 
a candidate country due to special circumstances 
under subsection (b)(1)(C).’’. 
(2) RULEMAKING.— 
(A) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
promulgate regulations to carry out the amend-
ments made by this subsection. 
(B) CONTENT.—The regulations promul-
gated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
(i) permit an eligible alien (as defined 
in section 317A of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, as added by paragraph 
(1)) and the spouse or child of the eligible 
alien to reside in a foreign country to work 
as a physician or other healthcare worker 
as described in subsection (a) of such sec-
tion 317A for not less than a 12-month pe-
riod and not more than a 24-month period, 
and shall permit the Secretary to extend 
such period for an additional period not to 
exceed 12 months, if the Secretary deter-
mines that such country has a continuing 
need for such a physician or other 
healthcare worker; 
(ii) provide for the issuance of docu-
ments by the Secretary to such eligible 
alien, and such spouse or child, if appro-
priate, to demonstrate that such eligible 
alien, and such spouse or child, if appro-
priate, is authorized to reside in such 
country under such section 317A; and 
(iii) provide for an expedited process 
through which the Secretary shall review 
applications for such an eligible alien to re-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
side in a foreign country pursuant to sub-
section (a) of such section 317A if the Sec-
retary of State determines a country is a 
candidate country pursuant to subsection 
(b)(1)(C) of such section 317A. 
(3) TECHNICAL
AND
CONFORMING
AMEND-
MENTS.— 
(A) 
DEFINITION.—Section 
101(a)(13)(C)(ii) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(13)(C)(ii)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘except in the case of an eligible alien, or the 
spouse or child of such alien, who is authorized 
to be absent from the United States under sec-
tion 317A,’’. 
(B) DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS.—Sec-
tion 211(b) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1181(b)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, including an eligible 
alien authorized to reside in a foreign country 
under section 317A and the spouse or child of 
such eligible alien, if appropriate,’’ after 
‘‘101(a)(27)(A),’’. 
(C) 
INELIGIBLE
ALIENS.—Section 
212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 
1182(a)(7)(A)(i)(I)) is amended by inserting 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘other than an eligible alien authorized to re-
side in a foreign country under section 317A 
and the spouse or child of such eligible alien, if 
appropriate,’’ after ‘‘Act,’’. 
(D) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of 
contents of such Act is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 317 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘Sec. 317A. Temporary absence of aliens providing health care in developing 
countries.’’. 
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out this subsection and 
the amendments made by this subsection. 
(d) ATTESTATION BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS.— 
(1) 
ATTESTATION
REQUIREMENT.—Section 
212(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1182(a)(5)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(E) HEALTH
CARE
WORKERS
WITH 
OTHER OBLIGATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—An alien who 
seeks to enter the United States for the 
purpose of performing labor as a physician 
or other health care worker is inadmissible 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
unless the alien submits to the Secretary of 
Homeland Security or the Secretary of 
State, as appropriate, an attestation that 
the alien is not seeking to enter the United 
States for such purpose during any period 
in which the alien has an outstanding obli-
gation to the government of the alien’s 
country of origin or the alien’s country of 
residence. 
‘‘(ii) OBLIGATION DEFINED.—In this 
subparagraph, the term ‘obligation’ means 
an obligation incurred as part of a valid, 
voluntary individual agreement in which 
the alien received financial assistance to 
defray the costs of education or training to 
qualify as a physician or other health care 
worker in consideration for a commitment 
to work as a physician or other health care 
worker in the alien’s country of origin or 
the alien’s country of residence. 
‘‘(iii) WAIVER.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security may waive a finding of 
inadmissibility under clause (i) if the Sec-
retary determines that— 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(I) the obligation was incurred 
by coercion or other improper means; 
‘‘(II) the alien and the govern-
ment of the country to which the alien 
has an outstanding obligation have 
reached a valid, voluntary agreement, 
pursuant to which the alien’s obliga-
tion has been deemed satisfied, or the 
alien has shown to the satisfaction of 
the Secretary that the alien has been 
unable to reach such an agreement 
because of coercion or other improper 
means; or 
‘‘(III) the obligation should not 
be enforced due to other extraordinary 
circumstances, including undue hard-
ship that would be suffered by the 
alien in the absence of a waiver.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION.— 
(A) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—The amendment 
made by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the 
date that is 180 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(B) APPLICATION BY THE SECRETARY.— 
Not later than the effective date described in 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
subparagraph (A), the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall begin to carry out subparagraph 
(E) of section 212(a)(5) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act, as added by paragraph 
(1), including the requirement for the attesta-
tion and the granting of a waiver described in 
clause (iii) of such subparagraph (E), regard-
less of whether regulations to implement such 
subparagraph have been promulgated. 
SEC. 3. NURSE TRAINING AND RETENTION DEMONSTRA-
TION GRANT ACT OF 2008. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) America’s healthcare system depends on an 
adequate supply of trained nurses to deliver quality 
patient care. 
(2) Over the next 15 years, this shortage is ex-
pected to grow significantly. The Health Resources 
and Services Administration has projected that by 
2020, there will be a shortage of nurses in every 
State and that overall only 64 percent of the de-
mand for nurses will be satisfied, with a shortage of 
1,016,900 nurses nationally. 
(3) To avert such a shortage, today’s network 
of healthcare workers should have access to edu-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
cation and support from their employers to partici-
pate in educational and training opportunities. 
(4) With the appropriate education and sup-
port, incumbent healthcare workers and incumbent 
bedside nurses are untapped sources which can meet 
these needs and address the nursing shortage and 
provide quality care as the American population 
ages. 
(b) PURPOSES OF GRANT PROGRAM.—It is the pur-
pose of this section to authorize grants to— 
(1) address the projected shortage of nurses by 
funding comprehensive programs to create a career 
ladder to nursing (including Certified Nurse Assist-
ants, Licensed Practical Nurses, Licensed Vocational 
Nurses, and Registered Nurses) for incumbent ancil-
lary healthcare workers; 
(2) increase the capacity for educating nurses 
by increasing both nurse faculty and clinical oppor-
tunities through collaborative programs between 
staff nurse organizations, healthcare providers, and 
accredited schools of nursing; and 
(3) provide training programs through edu-
cation and training organizations jointly adminis-
tered by healthcare providers and healthcare labor 
organizations or other organizations representing 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
staff nurses and frontline healthcare workers, work-
ing in collaboration with accredited schools of nurs-
ing and academic institutions. 
(c) GRANTS.—Not later than 6 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor (referred 
to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish a 
partnership grant program to award grants to eligible en-
tities to carry out comprehensive programs to provide edu-
cation to nurses and create a pipeline to nursing for in-
cumbent ancillary healthcare workers who wish to advance 
their careers, and to otherwise carry out the purposes of 
this section. 
(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section an entity shall— 
(1) be— 
(A) a healthcare entity that is jointly ad-
ministered by a healthcare employer and a labor 
union representing the healthcare employees of 
the employer and that carries out activities 
using labor management training funds as pro-
vided for under section 302 of the Labor-Man-
agement Relations Act, 1947 (18 U.S.C. 
186(c)(6)); 
(B) an entity that operates a training pro-
gram that is jointly administered by— 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
(i) one or more healthcare providers 
or facilities, or a trade association of 
healthcare providers; and 
(ii) one or more organizations which 
represent the interests of direct care 
healthcare workers or staff nurses and in 
which the direct care healthcare workers or 
staff nurses have direct input as to the 
leadership of the organization; or 
(C) a State training partnership program 
that consists of non-profit organizations that 
include equal participation from industry, in-
cluding public or private employers, and labor 
organizations including joint labor-management 
training programs, and which may include rep-
resentatives from local governments, worker in-
vestment agency one-stop career centers, com-
munity based organizations, community col-
leges, and accredited schools of nursing; and 
(2) submit to the Secretary an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. 
(e) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HEALTHCARE 
EMPLOYER DESRRIBED IN SUBSECTION (d).—To be eligi-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
ble for a grant under this section, a healthcare employer 
described in subsection (d) shall demonstrate— 
(1) an established program within their facility 
to encourage the retention of existing nurses; 
(2) it provides wages and benefits to its nurses 
that are competitive for its market or that have been 
collectively bargained with a labor organization; and 
(3) support for programs funded under this sec-
tion through 1 or more of the following: 
(A) The provision of paid leave time and 
continued 
health 
coverage 
to 
incumbent 
healthcare workers to allow their participation 
in nursing career ladder programs, including 
Certified Nurse Assistants, Licensed Practical 
Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, and Reg-
istered Nurses. 
(B) Contributions to a joint labor-manage-
ment or other jointly administered training 
fund which administers the program involved. 
(C) The provision of paid release time, in-
centive compensation, or continued health cov-
erage to staff nurses who desire to work full- or 
part-time in a faculty position. 
(D) The provision of paid release time for 
staff nurses to enable them to obtain a bachelor 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:22 May 23, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2536.IH
H2536
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS