Congress quietly boosts nursing education funding by $50M annually

What it does

This bill reauthorizes federal nursing workforce development programs under the Public Health Service Act for fiscal years 2026–2030. It expands grant eligibility to include nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists; broadens the definition of allowable education costs to include simulation, telehealth, and augmented reality resources; increases funding for advanced nursing education grants from $137.8M to $184.3M annually and for nurse education and practice capacity from $117.1M to $121.1M annually; and adds new grant purposes including expanding nursing faculty and clinical education partnerships with health care facilities.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative purpose is to reauthorize and expand federal nursing education grants under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. It increases appropriations, broadens eligible programs and education modalities, and adds new grant purposes—all directed at expanding nursing workforce capacity.

What the text implies

• Expansion of telehealth and simulation-based nursing education may accelerate adoption of remote clinical training models, potentially affecting the geographic distribution of nursing education and clinical placement opportunities.
• Inclusion of 'augmented reality resources' and 'virtual laboratories' signals federal support for technology-intensive nursing education, which may require schools to invest in infrastructure and may advantage institutions with existing tech capacity.
• Addition of 'survivors of sexual assault' alongside domestic violence survivors in grant eligibility (Section 831(b)(2)) expands the population of students with trauma backgrounds eligible for supportive education grants.
• New grant purpose for 'partnering with health care facilities' to establish or expand clinical education may incentivize closer integration between nursing schools and health systems, potentially affecting student placement and employment pathways.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill increases federal investment in nursing education and workforce development, directly expanding training capacity for nurses and advanced practice roles. Broader eligibility, modernized education infrastructure (simulation, telehealth), and clinical partnerships improve access to nursing education and address documented workforce shortages that affect patient care availability and quality.

Who stands to gain

• Schools of nursing and nursing education programs
• Nurse-managed health clinics and community health centers (as clinical education partners)
• Health care facilities providing clinical education placements

Named in the bill

Public Health Service Act, Title VIII (nursing workforce development), Section 811 (advanced nursing education grants), Section 831 (nurse education and practice capacity), Section 806 (conforming amendment), Section 871 (authorization of appropriations), Nurse practitioners, Nurse-midwives, Nurse anesthetists, Clinical nurse specialists, Schools of nursing, Community health centers — and 1 more

Where it stands

21 cosponsors: 11 Democrats, 10 Republicans.

• May 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
• Sep 10, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

15 lobbying clients named this bill on 23 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $2,531,296 in lobbying spend. A filing names 19 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 95% of bills with at least one filing.

David Joyce, the sponsor, reported $984,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners — $950,000 on 2 filings
• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists — $275,000 on 1 filing
• American Nurses Association — $270,000 on 1 filing
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. — $160,000 on 1 filing
• Emergency Nurses Association — $140,900 on 3 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.