The end of National Nurses month was marked by the introduction of the bicameral, bipartisan Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill is sponsored by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Susan Collins (ME), Tammy Baldwin (WI), and Marsha Blackburn (TN) - as well as U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02).
The bill reauthorizes and updates programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act and focuses on addressing aspects of nursing workforce demand – including education, practice, recruitment, and retention.
Among other provisions, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025:
- Reauthorizes funding for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs from FY2026 through FY2030.
- Allows nurse education, practice, quality, and retention grants to be used to cover the cost of audiovisual or other equipment, simulation and augmented reality resources, telehealth technologies, and virtual and physical laboratories. It can also be used to increase the number of faculty and students at schools of nursing to address nursing workforce shortages.
More information on the bill is available on Senator Merkley’s
website. AHCA/NCAL will monitor this nursing workforce bill and keep its members apprised of relevant updates.