National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester
Introduced
Summary
Creates a two-year pilot to build or strengthen state-based nursing workforce centers and a linked national analysis effort to track and fix nurse shortages. The law funds grants, standardizes data, and offers technical help so states can recruit, train, and keep nurses where they are needed most.
Show full summary
- Nurses and nursing students: Two-year grants can support scholarships, faculty recruitment and pay, clinical placement capacity, career counseling, and programs to retain and advance nurses. Grants require one non-Federal dollar for every four Federal dollars.
- States and training programs: State agencies, boards of nursing, nonprofits, community groups, and nursing schools can run centers that collect and analyze workforce and education data, plan statewide strategies, and partner with employers and educators.
- Patients, employers, and underserved areas: Centers focus on shortages by specialty and rural or underserved locations, study contract nursing trends, and prepare the workforce for public health crises and pandemics.
*Authorizes up to $1.5 million in federal HRSA workforce funds for each of FY2026 and FY2027 to carry out the pilot, increasing federal workforce program spending in those years.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
National nursing workforce analysis support
If enacted, HRSA would fund national and regional reports, peer-reviewed research, and rapid analyses about the nursing workforce. The bill would let HRSA give technical assistance on standardizing data, deliver online and in-person training, and run a public website with tools and resources. At least one grant under the program must go to an organization with clear nursing workforce expertise and data and research capabilities. The change also broadens which programs can be eligible for these grants by changing a cross-reference to apply across the Act.
State nursing workforce pilot program
If enacted, HHS would run a two-year pilot to create or strengthen State-based nursing workforce centers. Grants would last two years and require at least $1 of non-Federal money for every $4 of Federal funds. HHS must begin the pilot within one year after enactment and may use up to $1.5 million in each of FY2026 and FY2027 from HRSA workforce funds. Eligible recipients include State agencies, nursing schools, community groups, and 501(c)(3) groups. Grants could pay for statewide data studies, nursing education reviews, scholarships and financial aid, faculty support, recruitment and retention programs, leadership and public-health training, and career counseling. The Secretary would report to Congress within one year after the first grant and every year after, showing who was served and what worked.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lisa Blunt Rochester
DE • D
Cosponsors
Thomas Tillis
NC • R
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Kevin Cramer
ND • R
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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