Federal funding to put a nurse in every school—targeting districts that need it most
H.R. 305 — One School, One Nurse Act of 2025 · Filed by Frederica Wilson (D-FL) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 9, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a federal grant program to help states and school districts hire and retain full-time registered nurses in every elementary and secondary school. It provides 5-year competitive grants to high-need districts to recruit, hire, and retain school nurses, convert part-time positions to full-time, and maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios. The bill prioritizes districts serving low-income students and aims to increase diversity in school nursing.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward federal grant program designed to address a documented public health gap—school nurse shortages—by funding hiring and retention in underserved districts. It is not a regulatory carve-out, tax provision, or narrow industry benefit; it is direct public investment in student health.
What the text implies
- Grant structure creates 5-year funding cliff; districts may struggle to sustain nurse positions after federal funding ends unless they secure local budget commitments upfront.
- Nurse-to-student ratio standards will be set by HHS/Education via regulation, not statute; future administrations could weaken these standards without new legislation.
- Diversity hiring goals are aspirational but lack enforcement mechanism or penalty for non-compliance; progress tracking is self-reported by grantees.
- Bill does not address underlying wage/compensation competitiveness; retention support may be insufficient if school nurse salaries remain below market rates in high-cost areas.
Who it affects
Ordinary families—especially those in low-income districts—gain access to on-site health care, preventive services, and chronic disease management for their children. Students with uninsured status or limited health access benefit most. Schools reduce absenteeism and improve health outcomes; educators are relieved of non-instructional health burdens.
Who stands to gain
- school districts and state education agencies (grant recipients)
- registered nurses (employment and salary support)
- nursing schools and workforce development programs (potential recruitment partnerships)
Named in the bill
U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Center for Education Statistics, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, local educational agencies, state educational agencies, registered nurses
Where it stands
5 cosponsors: 5 Democrats.
- Jan 9, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 9, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 2, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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