What’s new: To address aspects of nursing workforce demand, including education, practice, recruitment, and retention, Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-02) is co-sponsoring the introduction of the bicameral, bipartisan Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025.

• Kiggans is a board-certified Adult-Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner who has worked in several long term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. She serves as vice chair of the Congressional Nursing Caucus.

In a press release announcing the bill’s introduction, Rep. Kiggans said, “As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how essential nurses are to the strength and sustainability of our healthcare system. This bipartisan, bicameral bill tackles the nursing shortage head-on by expanding clinical education opportunities, increasing the number of trained nurses, and investing in the educators who prepare them. I’m proud to support legislation that strengthens our nursing pipeline and ensures our healthcare workforce is equipped to meet the demands of the future.”

The bill reauthorizes and updates programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. Among its 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 Sen. Jeff Merkley’s website. AHCA/NCAL will monitor this nursing workforce bill and keep its members apprised of relevant updates.

• Other sponsors of the legislation include US Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Susan Collins (ME), Tammy Baldwin (WI), and Marsha Blackburn (TN), as well as US Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14).