Title VIII Nursing Workforce Bill Passes to Senate Floor

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee for advancing S. 1399, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019, out of committee and to the Senate floor. The bipartisan bill strengthens the profession of nursing by aligning Title VIII with current trends and ensures that important programs addressing nursing workforce demand, including education, practice, recruitment, and retention, have a five-year authorization. The Nursing Workforce Development Programs (Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 296 et seq.]) are administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration.

ARN Health Policy Consultant Jeremy Scott was in attendance at the Committee meeting to witness the bill advance. Scott told ARN, "For ARN and our advocates, the work we've done thus far has helped propel this bill to the forefront of almost completion. We've sent out action alerts and brought nurses to the Hill, so I think all the things we do as advocates helped propel this action. It's a community issue, and the nice thing about having a large community like nursing is that the more voices you have to support an issue, the more it resonates on the Hill. By adding our nurses' voices to this issue, we have been able to move this towards final passage."

ARN remains committed to advocating for rehabilitation nurses and the nursing profession on Capitol Hill. We look forward to continuing to work alongside our rehab nurse advocates and to ensuring the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act is passed in the Senate.