Definition: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Input: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Troops to Nurse Teachers Act of
2008''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAMS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF NURSES WITHIN THE ARMED
FORCES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense may provide for the
carrying out of each of the programs described in subsections (b)
through (f).
(b) Service of Nurse Officers as Faculty in Exchange for Commitment
to Additional Service in the Armed Forces.--
(1) In general.--One of the programs under this section may
be a program in which covered commissioned officers with a
graduate degree in nursing or a related field who are in the
nurse corps of the Armed Force concerned serve a tour of duty
of two years as a full-time faculty member of an accredited
school of nursing.
(2) Covered officers.--A commissioned officer of the nurse
corps of the Armed Forces described in this paragraph is a
nurse officer on active duty who has served for more than nine
years on active duty in the Armed Forces as an officer of the
nurse corps at the time of the commencement of the tour of duty
described in paragraph (1).
(3) Benefits and privileges.--An officer serving on the
faculty of an accredited school or nursing under this
subsection shall be accorded all the benefits, privileges, and
responsibilities (other than compensation and compensation-
related benefits) of any other comparably situated individual
serving a full-time faculty member of such school.
(4) Agreement for additional service.--Each officer who
serves a tour of duty on the faculty of a school of nursing
under this subsection shall enter into an agreement with the
Secretary to serve upon the completion of such tour of duty for
a period of four years for such tour of duty as a member of the
nurse corps of the Armed Force concerned. Any service agreed to
by an officer under this paragraph is in addition to any other
service required of the officer under law.
(c) Service of Nurse Officers as Faculty in Exchange for
Scholarships for Nurse Officer Candidates.--
(1) In general.--One of the programs under this section may
be a program in which commissioned officers with a graduate
degree in nursing or a related field who are in the nurse corps
of the Armed Force concerned serve while on active duty a tour
of duty of two years as a full-time faculty member of an
accredited school of nursing.
(2) Benefits and privileges.--An officer serving on the
faculty of an accredited school of nursing under this
subsection shall be accorded all the benefits, privileges, and
responsibilities (other than compensation and compensation-
related benefits) of any other comparably situated individual
serving as a full-time faculty member of such school.
(3) Scholarships for nurse officer candidates.--(A) Each
accredited school of nursing at which an officer serves on the
faculty under this subsection shall provide scholarships to
individuals undertaking an educational program at such school
leading to a degree in nursing who agree, upon completion of
such program, to accept a commission as an officer in the nurse
corps of the Armed Forces.
(B) The total amount of funds made available for
scholarships by an accredited school of nursing under
subparagraph (A) for each officer serving on the faculty of
that school under this subsection shall be not less than the
amount equal to an entry-level full-time faculty member of that
school for each year that such officer so serves on the faculty
of that school.
(C) The total number of scholarships provided by an
accredited school of nursing under subparagraph (A) for each
officer serving on the faculty of that school under this
subsection shall be such number as the Secretary of Defense
shall specify for purposes of this subsection.
(d) Scholarships for Certain Nurse Officers for Education as
Nurses.--
(1) In general.--One of the programs under this section may
be a program in which the Secretary provides scholarships to
commissioned officers of the nurse corps of the Armed Force
concerned described in paragraph (2) who enter into an
agreement described in paragraph (4) for the participation of
such officers in an educational program of an accredited school
of nursing leading to a graduate degree in nursing.
(2) Covered nurse officers.--A commissioned officer of the
nurse corps of the Armed Forces described in this paragraph is
a nurse officer who has served not less than 20 years on active
duty in the Armed Forces and is otherwise eligible for
retirement from the Armed Forces.
(3) Scope of scholarships.--Amounts in a scholarship
provided a nurse officer under this subsection may be utilized
by the officer to pay the costs of tuition, fees, and other
educational expenses of the officer in participating in an
educational program described in paragraph (1).
(4) Agreement.--An agreement of a nurse officer described
in this paragraph is the agreement of the officer--
(A) to participate in an educational program
described in paragraph (1); and
(B) upon graduation from such educational program--
(i) to serve not less than two years as a
full-time faculty member of an accredited
school of nursing; and
(ii) to undertake such activities as the
Secretary considers appropriate to encourage
current and prospective nurses to pursue
service in the nurse corps of the Armed Forces.
(e) Transition Assistance for Retiring Nurse Officers Qualified as
Faculty.--
(1) In general.--One of the programs under this section may
be a program in which the Secretary provides to commissioned
officers of the nurse corps of the Armed Force concerned
described in paragraph (2) the assistance described in
paragraph (3) to assist such officers in obtaining and
fulfilling positions as full-time faculty members of an
accredited school of nursing after retirement from the Armed
Forces.
(2) Covered nurse officers.--A commissioned officer of the
nurse corps of the Armed Forces described in this paragraph is
a nurse officer who--
(A) has served an aggregate of at least 20 years on
active duty or in reserve active status in the Armed
Forces;
(B) is eligible for retirement from the Armed
Forces; and
(C) possesses a doctoral or master degree in
nursing or a related field which qualifies the nurse
officer to discharge the position of nurse instructor
at an accredited school of nursing.
(3) Assistance.--The assistance described in this paragraph
is assistance as follows:
(A) Career placement assistance.
(B) Continuing education.
(C) Stipends (in an amount specified by the
Secretary).
(4) Agreement.--A nurse officer provided assistance under
this subsection shall enter into an agreement with the
Secretary to serve as a full-time faculty member of an
accredited school of nursing for such period as the Secretary
shall provide in the agreement.
(f) Benefits for Retired Nurse Officers Accepting Appointment as
Faculty.--
(1) In general.--One of the programs under this section may
be a program in which the Secretary provides to any individual
described in paragraph (2) the benefits specified in paragraph
(3).
(2) Covered individuals.--An individual described in this
paragraph is an individual who--
(A) is retired from the Armed Forces after service
as a commissioned officer in the nurse corps of the
Armed Forces;
(B) holds a graduate degree in nursing; and
(C) serves as a full-time faculty member of an
accredited school of nursing.
(3) Benefits.--The benefits specified in this paragraph
shall include the following:
(A) Payment of retired or retirement pay without
reduction based on receipt of pay or other compensation
from the institution of higher education concerned.
(B) Payment by the institution of higher education
concerned of a salary and other compensation to which
other similarly situated faculty members of the
institution of higher education would be entitled.
(C) If the amount of pay and other compensation
payable by the institution of higher education
concerned for service as an associate full-time faculty
member is less than the basic pay to which the
individual was entitled immediately before retirement
from the Armed Forces, payment of an amount equal to
the difference between such basic pay and such payment
and other compensation.
(g) Administration and Duration of Programs.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish requirements
and procedures for the administration of the programs
authorized by this section. Such requirements and procedures
shall include procedures for selecting participating schools of
nursing.
(2) Duration.--Any program carried out under this section
shall continue for not less than two years.
(3) Assessment.--Not later than two years after commencing
any program under this section, the Secretary shall assess the
results of such program and determine whether or not to
continue such program. The assessment of any program shall be
based on measurable criteria, information concerning results,
and such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(4) Continuation.--The Secretary may continue carrying out
any program under this section that the Secretary determines,
pursuant to an assessment under paragraph (3), to continue to
carry out. In continuing to carry out a program, the Secretary
may modify the terms of the program within the scope of this
section. The continuation of any program may include its
expansion to include additional participating schools of
nursing.
(h) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ''school of nursing''
and ''accredited'' have the meaning given those terms in section 801 of
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296).
Output:
Troops to Nurse Teachers Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out programs under which commissioned officers of the nurse corps: (1) serve as full-time faculty of accredited schools of nursing in exchange for additional service or in exchange for scholarships provided by the school to those accepting commissions in the nurse corps; (2) receive scholarships leading to a graduate degree in nursing in exchange for service as nursing school faculty and to undertake activities to encourage nurses to serve in the Armed Forces nurse corps; (3) receive nursing faculty career placement and continuing education assistance if they are retirement-eligible and have graduate degrees qualifying them as nurse instructors; or (4) receive, while serving after retirement as faculty at a nursing school, retired pay without reduction and a pay differential to ensure that compensation for faculty member service will not be less than the basic pay received before retirement.

Requires: (1) any program established under this Act to last at least two years; and (2) the Secretary to assess each program to determine if it should be continued.