This letter is the response (minor changes made by me to clarify) of Senator Bob Graham (FL) to a "Friends and Family" letter and to a VA nurse letter. Note he does not mention our bill S 1188, whether intentionally because it stresses the nursing shortage, which he may not understand our bill addresses, or by mistake. He should be reminded of S 1188 and it's importance.
Dear Judy, (Dear Ms. Schmidt):
Thank you for contacting my office regarding the shortage of
registered nurses.
On June 20, 2001, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues
in co-sponsoring the Nurse Reinvestment Act (S. 706), which was
introduced by Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. This legislation
amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security entities.
It also amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act
to temporarily increase the matching rate for Medicaid nurse aide
Act to provide for nurse education training payments to qualified
de training and competency evaluation programs.
The Nurse Reinvestment Act establishes, and authorizes appropriations
for, a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship
program that provides tax exempt scholarships to individuals seeking
nursing education in exchange for service by such
individuals in areas with nursing shortages. For nurses who
have already been working in health care, S. 706 would offer grants
for advanced education and training.
Finally, the Nurse Reinvestment Act directs the Secretary of Health
and Human Services to: (1) develop and issue public
service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession,
highlight the advantages and rewards of nursing, and encourage
individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds to enter
the nursing profession; and (2) award grants to designated eligible
educational entities in order to increase the number of nurses.
This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on
Finance, of which I am a member. Pending Committee action, this
legislation may come before the full Senate.
On July 27, 2001, I co-sponsored the Rural and Urban Health Care
Act (S. 1259) with Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. This legislation
amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide more visas
for non-immigrant alien nurses to work in rural or urban areas
currently experiencing nursing shortages. S. 1259 also increases
the number of annual two-year foreign residency requirement waivers
for aliens receiving graduate medical education or training in
the United States. This legislation has been referred to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am not a member.
Additionally, Representative Rush Holt of New Jersey introduced
the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 118)
on January 3, 2001. This legislation would provide grants to states
to test innovative ways to increase nursing home staff levels,
reduce turnover, and improve the quality of care for nursing homes
residents. This legislation has been referred to the House Ways
and Means Committee. Similar legislation has not been introduced
in the Senate.
Please be assured that I will keep your concerns in mind should
the full Senate consider legislation regarding the nursing shortage.
If you would like to share your views on other issues, please
visit my website, http://graham.senate.gov.
Thank you for contacting my office about issues of concern to
you. If you would like more information or would like to share
additional comments please do not respond to this e-mail. Rather,
please visit my website, http://graham.senate.gov/email.html,
and from the website you can forward additional comments to my
office.
With kind regards,
Sincerely,
Bob Graham
United States Senator