# 119-hr-7279: Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026

119-hr-7279, Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7279
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7279
- Congress: 119
- Title: Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would tackle the shortfall of nursing instructors by funding pay boosts and loans to make faculty jobs competitive and keep nursing programs open.** It would create a Nurse Faculty Demonstration Program and a School of Nursing Student Loan Fund and authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter agreements with accredited schools to run them. - Nursing faculty and recruits: Eligible schools could win grants that give annual salary supplements for up to three years. Supplements are set to close the gap between clinical practice pay and faculty pay and must be used only for salary. - Schools of nursing: Schools must apply with three-year salary histories, vacancy counts, a five-year faculty projection, and a plan to sustain salary increases after the grant period. The program also allows schools to establish student loan funds through agreements with HHS. - Students, patients, and communities: By helping schools recruit and retain faculty, the bill aims to expand training capacity, reduce admission wait lists, and prioritize support for underserved areas and underrepresented faculty. *Authorizes $15.0 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the demonstration and student loan fund.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] (R-OH), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-04-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9] (R-PA), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New student loan funds for nursing: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would be able to make agreements with accredited nursing schools to create school-run student loan funds. Students at participating schools would be able to get loans from those funds. The bill does not set loan terms or funding amounts in this provision.
- Pay boosts for nursing faculty: benefit, low. If enacted, nursing faculty would be able to receive yearly pay supplements for up to three years. The award for each eligible faculty would equal the school-reported average clinical nurse salary minus the higher of (A) the faculty member's current school pay or (B) the school's reported average n…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7279 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7279)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7279 (as of 2026-09-21).