Senate bill would increase nursing workforce, research funding

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) funding bill (S.0000) just released by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes funding increases in three areas of critical importance to nursing. Funding for Title VIII nursing workforce development programs would increase 1.6%; funding for the National Institute of Nursing Research would rise nearly 6%; and National Institutes of Health funding would be augmented nearly 8% above FY19 Minibus appropriations. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Congress will likely pass a continuing resolution this month temporarily extending last year’s budget levels, but “the strong support for nursing priorities in both the House and Senate puts us in a strong position as final FY 2020 funding levels are negotiated over the coming weeks.” The AACN FY 2020 Funding Chart contains additional detail. (AACN Washington Weekly story, 9/25/19)