Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Richard Durbin
Introduced
Summary
Increase the number of nursing faculty. This bill would create a School of Nursing Student Loan Fund and a Nurse Faculty Demonstration Program to recruit and retain educators through loan support and salary supplements.
Show full summary
- Nursing faculty: Eligible nursing faculty hired within two years or prospective hires could receive salary supplements for up to three years. Awards would fill the gap between clinical nurse pay and faculty pay and may be prorated for part-time work.
- Schools of nursing: Accredited schools could establish student loan funds through agreements and apply for competitive grants. Applications must include salary histories, faculty vacancy projections, and plans to sustain higher pay after the grant period.
- Patients and communities: Grants would prioritize schools serving vulnerable patient populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas, require equitable geographic distribution, and favor recruitment of faculty from underrepresented groups.
*Would authorize $15 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031, totaling $75 million in authorized funding and increasing federal spending by that amount.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Salary supplements for nursing faculty
If enacted, this bill would create a competitive grant program that gives schools money to supplement nursing faculty pay for up to three years. Grants would go to schools, not individuals, and must be used entirely to increase eligible faculty salaries. Each year a faculty supplement would equal the difference between the applicant's reported average local clinical nurse salary and the higher of the faculty member's current school salary or the school's average faculty salary for similar credentials. Part-time awards would be prorated by FTE. The program would require schools to submit 3‑year salary data or a local clinical average, a 3‑year attestation of average faculty pay, current vacancies with a five‑year vacancy projection, and a plan to sustain pay after the three-year grant. The Secretary would ensure geographic equity, prioritize greatest need and service to vulnerable populations, and report to Congress within three years. The bill authorizes $15 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to run the program.
School-based nursing student loans
If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary make agreements with accredited nursing schools to establish and operate school-run student loan funds. If your school joined, you would be able to borrow from that fund to pay for nursing education. This text does not set loan amounts, interest rates, repayment rules, or specific funding levels. Those program details would be set later under the new authority.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Richard Durbin
IL • D
Cosponsors
Lisa Murkowski
AK • R
Sponsored 1/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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