Title: Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2022 support for nursing workforce programs and grants.
Eligibility for advanced nursing education grants is expanded to include education programs for clinical nurse leaders and all combined registered nurse and graduate degree programs. (Clinical nurse leaders are advanced generalist clinicians who apply research and coordinate care in order to improve outcomes for patients.) To be eligible for these grants, clinical nurse specialist programs must provide registered nurses with full-time clinical nurse specialist education that qualifies the nurses to provide a full range of care.
Programs for loan repayment and scholarships for nurses, loans for nursing faculty, and geriatric care education are extended through FY2022. Grants for increasing nursing workforce diversity are also extended through FY2022.
Nurse education, practice, and quality grants are extended through FY2022 and eligibility is expanded to include nurse-managed health clinics.
Grants for nursing career ladder programs are expanded to: (1) promote career advancement for individuals to become registered nurses or advanced education nurses; and (2) support internships and residency programs to encourage mentoring and the development of specialties.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1109 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1109

To amend title VIII of the Public Health Service Act to extend advanced 
education nursing grants to support clinical nurse specialist programs, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 11, 2017

   Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Burr, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. Collins) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title VIII of the Public Health Service Act to extend advanced 
education nursing grants to support clinical nurse specialist programs, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Title VIII Nursing Workforce 
Reauthorization Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. SUPPORTING CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS.

    (a) Advanced Education Nursing Grants.--Section 811 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296j) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``R.N./Master's'' and inserting 
                ``R.N./graduate''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``clinical nurse leaders,'' before 
                ``or public health nurses'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections 
        (g) and (h), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(f) Authorized Clinical Nurse Specialist Programs.--Clinical 
nurse specialist programs eligible for support under this section are 
education programs that--
            ``(1) provide registered nurses with full-time clinical 
        nurse specialist education; and
            ``(2) have as their objective the education of clinical 
        nurse specialists who will upon completion of such a program be 
        qualified to effectively provide care through the wellness and 
        illness continuum to inpatients and outpatients experiencing 
        acute and chronic illness.''.
    (b) Definition of Nurse-Managed Clinic.--Section 801 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(18) Nurse-managed health clinic.--The term `nurse-
        managed health clinic' means a nurse-practice arrangement, 
        managed by advanced practice nurses, that provides primary care 
        or wellness services to underserved or vulnerable populations 
        and that is associated with a school, college, university, or 
        department of nursing, federally qualified health center, or 
        independent nonprofit health or social services agency.''.
    (c) National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice.--
Section 851(b)(1)(A)(iv) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
297t(b)(1)(A)(iv)) is amended by striking ``and nurse anesthetists'' 
and inserting ``nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists''.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING FOR NURSING PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 296 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (i)(1) of section 846 (42 U.S.C. 297n; 
        loan repayment and scholarship programs), by striking ``2007'' 
        and inserting ``2022'';
            (2) in subsection (f) of section 846A (42 U.S.C. 297n-1; 
        nurse faculty loan program), by striking ``2014'' and inserting 
        ``2022'';
            (3) in subsection (e) of section 865 (42 U.S.C. 298; 
        comprehensive geriatric education), by striking ``2014'' and 
        inserting ``2022''; and
            (4) in section 871 (42 U.S.C. 298d; funding for carrying 
        out parts B, C, and section 831)--
                    (A) by striking ``2016'' and inserting ``2022''; 
                and
                    (B) by striking ``B, C, and D'' and inserting ``B 
                and C and section 831''.
    (b) Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention Grants.--
Section 831 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296p) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``and quality'' and 
        inserting ``quality, and retention'';
            (2) in subsection (c)(1)--
                    (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(A) to promote career advancement for--
                            ``(i) for nursing personnel in a variety of 
                        training settings, cross training or specialty 
                        training among diverse population groups, and 
                        the advancement of individuals including to 
                        become professional nurses, advanced education 
                        nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified 
                        nurse assistants, and home health aides; and
                            ``(ii) individuals including licensed 
                        practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, 
                        certified nurse assistants, home health aides, 
                        diploma degree or associate degree nurses, to 
                        become baccalaureate prepared registered nurses 
                        or advanced education nurses in order to meet 
                        the needs of the registered nurse workforce;'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) developing and implementing internships and 
                residency programs in collaboration with an accredited 
                school of nursing, as defined by section 801(2), to 
                encourage mentoring and the development of 
                specialties.'';
            (3) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) by striking ``,,'' and inserting ``,'';
                    (B) by striking ``or''; and
                    (C) by inserting ``, or a nurse-managed health 
                clinic'' before the period; and
            (4) by striking subsection (h).
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