FAAN Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6607
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-11: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-16T08:06:36Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act (FAAN Act), H.R. 6607, aims to strengthen the nursing workforce in the United States by providing federal grants to nursing schools. It focuses on increasing the number of nursing students and faculty, improving program quality, and modernizing facilities to address shortages and enhance the country's ability to respond to public health emergencies, such as pandemics.
Key Provisions
- Grant Program (Section 832 of the Public Health Service Act): The Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), can award grants to eligible schools of nursing for three main goals:
- Increasing faculty and student numbers to tackle nursing shortages.
- Expanding school capacity to better prepare for and respond to public health emergencies (declared under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act) or undeclared pandemics.
- Enhancing and modernizing nursing education programs.
- Priorities for Awarding Grants: Preference is given to schools that:
- Serve or prepare students for medically underserved areas (regions with limited access to healthcare providers).
- Serve or prepare students for health professional shortage areas (HPSAs, defined as locations with too few healthcare workers).
- Are historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs) or other minority-serving institutions listed under the Higher Education Act.
- Are in rural areas or noncontiguous U.S. states/territories (e.g., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico).
- Equitable Distribution: Grants should be spread fairly across U.S. geographic regions where possible.
- Allowed Uses of Grant Funds: Schools must use funds for activities like:
- Boosting student enrollment and retention, prioritizing those from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, rural/underserved areas, low-income, or first-generation college students) through mentorship and support programs.
- Retaining or hiring faculty, especially from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
- Forming partnerships with healthcare facilities (e.g., clinics, community health centers) for clinical training, including using preceptors (experienced nurses who mentor students).
- Upgrading infrastructure, such as simulation labs, augmented reality tools, telehealth technology, and virtual/physical labs.
- Developing or updating curricula and programs, including those for nurse researchers.
- Creating interprofessional (team-based) and intradisciplinary (within-nursing) educational partnerships.
- Other improvements to expand nursing schools.
- Reporting Requirements:
- Grantees submit annual reports to the Secretary on activities and outcomes.
- Within 5 years of enactment, the Secretary must report to Congress (Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; House Committee on Energy and Commerce) and make it public, covering grant recipients, student enrollment/graduation data (disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex, geography, disability, etc., with focus on underrepresented groups), impacts on faculty hiring, partnerships, infrastructure, and shortage responses, plus recommendations.
- Funding: Authorizes $1 billion for these grants, available until spent.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new section (832) to Part D of Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296p et seq.), which previously focused on basic nursing workforce development.
- Amends the part's heading by removing "basic," broadening its scope to include advanced enhancement and modernization efforts.
- Introduces a targeted grant program emphasizing equity, diversity, and emergency preparedness, which was not explicitly detailed in prior nursing education provisions.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: HRSA will administer the grants, increasing its workload in oversight and reporting. Congress gains data for future policy on nursing shortages.
- Citizens: Could improve access to healthcare in underserved, rural, and shortage areas by growing a more diverse nursing workforce, better equipped for emergencies. Benefits students from disadvantaged backgrounds through support programs, potentially reducing educational barriers.
- International Relations: No direct impacts; the bill is focused on domestic nursing education and workforce.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Schools of Nursing: Primary recipients, gaining resources to expand and modernize.
- Nursing Students and Faculty: Especially those from underrepresented, rural, low-income, or first-generation backgrounds, who benefit from enrollment support, mentorship, and diverse hiring.
- Healthcare Facilities: Gain from partnerships for clinical training, improving nurse preparedness.
- Communities in Underserved Areas: Potential for better healthcare access due to increased nurses serving these regions.
- Federal Government: HRSA and Congress, through implementation and evaluation.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Builds on existing Public Health Service Act authority without creating new mandates; emphasizes voluntary grants with reporting to ensure accountability. No challenges to federal spending power, as it authorizes appropriations (not mandatory funding).
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's authority under the Spending Clause to fund public health initiatives; promotes equity without infringing on state education roles.
- Political: Addresses ongoing nursing shortages (exacerbated by events like COVID-19) and workforce diversity, potentially appealing across party lines as a proactive health policy. The 5-year report could inform future legislation, highlighting bipartisan interest in emergency preparedness and rural health.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]
Cosponsors (1)
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-11: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-12-11: Introduced in House
- 2025-12-11: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act — issued 2025-12-11 — PDF (7 pages)