119-hr305

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 305 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 305

To authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to 
 assist local educational agencies with ensuring that each elementary 
 and secondary school has at least one registered nurse on staff.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 9, 2025

Ms. Wilson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred 
 to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
 determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to 
 assist local educational agencies with ensuring that each elementary 
 and secondary school has at least one registered nurse on staff.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``One School, One Nurse Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE; FINDINGS.

    (a) 

=== Purpose ===
-The purpose of this Act is to assist States and local 
educational agencies with ensuring that every elementary and secondary 
school has at least one full-time registered nurse on staff, and to 
maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios, including through the 
recruitment, hiring, and retention of registered nurses.

    (b) 

=== Findings ===
-Congress finds the following:

    (1) According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, every 
 elementary and secondary school should have at least one full-
 time registered nurse on staff.

    (2) According to the National Center for Education 
 Statistics, during the 2015-2016 school year, only about half 
 of all public schools had a full-time registered nurse and 
 nearly 20 percent did not have any nurse on staff. Schools with 
 higher free or reduced-price lunch program eligibility rates 
 had lower rates of school nurses.

    (3) According to the Georgetown University Center for 
 Children and Families, in 2019, roughly 6 percent of children 
 in the United States were uninsured.

    (4) For children who lack health care coverage, a school 
 nurse is often a critical source of health services.

    (5) Studies suggest that schools with a full-time 
 registered nurse experience far-reaching benefits including 
 fewer student absences, students spending more time in class, 
 more accurate medical records, higher immunization rates, fewer 
 student pregnancies, and better health outcomes for students 
 with asthma or diabetes.

    (6) School nurses play a critical role in helping to manage 
 the chronic physical, emotional, mental, and social health 
 needs of students, conduct health screenings, facilitate 
 vaccinations and immunization compliance efforts, reduce 
 burdens on educators and other school staff, and support a 
 positive and healthy school climate.

SEC. 3. ONE SCHOOL, ONE NURSE GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Program Authorized.--Not later than 12 months after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a 
program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to carry out the activities under subsection
            (d) . Grants awarded under 
this section shall be for a period of 5 years.

    (b) Application.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require. Such application shall include--

    (1) a needs assessment of the eligible entity that 
 demonstrates the existence of persistent shortages of school 
 nurses or persistent shortages of full-time school nurses;

    (2) a description of the health and wellness needs of the 
 student population served by the eligible entity;

    (3) a comprehensive plan for the use of grant funds to 
 address persistent shortages described in the needs assessment 
 under paragraph

    (1) , including a description of how such 
 activities shall address the health and wellness needs 
 described under paragraph

    (2) and how such funds will be used 
 to ensure that the eligible entity will continue to employ and 
 retain school nurses after the completion of the grant period; 
 and

    (4) a description of how the eligible entity will 
 prioritize recruiting individuals from the communities served 
 by the eligible entity and from underrepresented populations in 
 public health professions (as determined by the Secretary by 
 regulation), and how the eligible entity will track progress in 
 meeting any specified hiring goals.
            (c) Selection and Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--

    (1) are a high-need local educational agency, or are a 
 partnership between a State educational agency and a consortium 
 of high-need local educational agencies; and

    (2) describe and set specific hiring goals towards 
 increasing the share of school nurses who are from 
 underrepresented populations in public health professions.
            (d) Activities.--Grant funds awarded under this section shall be 
used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the following 
activities:

    (1) Recruit and hire school nurses.

    (2) Provide resources necessary to convert part-time school 
 nurse positions at elementary or secondary schools served by 
 the eligible entity into full-time school nurse positions.

    (3) Support the retention of school nurses, including by 
 increasing salaries.

    (4) Maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios (as 
 determined by the Secretary by regulation).

    (e) Reporting.--Each eligible entity awarded a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Secretary an annual report for each year of 
the grant award. Such report shall include--

    (1) a summary of the eligible entity's progress in 
 employing at least one full-time registered nurse at each 
 elementary and secondary school served by the eligible entity 
 and maintaining recommended nurse-to-student ratios (as 
 determined by the Secretary by regulation);

    (2) data on the number and percentage of full-time and 
 part-time school nurses, disaggregated by major racial and 
 ethnic groups and gender, employed at each elementary and 
 secondary school served by the eligible entity; and

    (3) a summary of any progress made by the eligible entity 
 in addressing the health and wellness needs identified in the 
 needs assessment required under subsection

    (b)

    (2) as a result 
 of activities carried out with a grant under this section.

    (f) Regulations Required.--Not later than 12 months after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall--

    (1) in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services--
        (A) specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-
 student ratios for elementary and secondary schools;
        (B) provide for guidance and other technical 
 assistance to eligible entities with respect to 
 achieving and maintaining such ratios; and
            (C) specify in regulation the definition of 
 ``underrepresented populations in public health 
 professions'' for the purposes of this section; and

    (2) in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
 Services and the Secretary of Labor, specify in regulation the 
 definition of ``full-time'' with respect to school nurses for 
 the purposes of this section.

    (g) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
        (A) a local educational agency; or
        (B) a partnership between a State educational 
 agency and a consortium of local educational agencies 
 in the State, entered into for the purposes of a grant 
 under this section.

    (2) High-need local educational agency.--The term ``high-
 need local educational agency'' has the meaning given such term 
 in 

section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
 1021).

    (3) Local educational agency; state educational agency.--
 The terms ``local educational agency'' and ``State educational 
 agency'' have the meanings given such terms in 

section 8101 of 
 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
 7801).

    (4) School nurse.--The term ``school nurse'' means a 
 registered nurse who is employed by a school or local 
 educational agency or State or State educational agency and is 
 qualified under State law to provide assessment, diagnosis, 
 counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other health services 
 to meet student needs.

    (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Education.
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