Capitol Update, brought to you by the American Nurses Association
Capitol Update, a legislative newsletter for nurses
Volume 5/Issue 2 February 28, 2007
Article Photo President Proposes to Cut Nursing Education by 30 Percent

President Bush released his fiscal year 2008 Budget on February 5. This $2.9 trillion spending plan outlines the Administration's priorities. Unfortunately, the President proposes to cut many health care programs important to nursing. While this Budget does not carry the weight of law or change current funding, it does indicate that new funding for nursing education and health care will be hard to come by in 2008.
ANA Supports the Employee Free Choice Act

On February 14, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007. The bipartisan bill, which was sponsored by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA), along with Reps. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) and Peter King (R-NY), would restore and protect worker's rights to form unions.
House Nursing Caucus Re-forms for the 110th Congress

Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) and Congressman Steve LaTourette (R-OH) have again come together to form a Nursing Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. This Caucus will provide an excellent, non-partisan forum for the discussion of issues that impact the nursing profession, and will help members of Congress who care about these issues come together to address them.
ANA fights to restore the Toxic Right to Know Act

On February 14, Nancy Hughes, MS, RN, director of The Department of Occupational Health and Safety and ANA, took part in a press conference announcing the reintroduction of the Toxic Right-to-Know Protection Act. This important, ANA-supported legislation would undo new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which weakened toxic reporting requirements that had been in place nearly two decades.
FY 2007 Funding Finalized

President Bush signed a continuing resolution (CR) finalizing funding for fiscal year (FY) 2007 on February 15. This law (P.L. 110-5) contained flat funding for most nursing programs. With help from our N-STAT leaders, ANA was able to help defeat a Senate proposal that would have enacted an across-the-board cut in nursing programs. Unfortunately, Congress did not strike the Wicker rider in the CR. The new majority has vowed to reject the Wicker rider in FY 2008.


Will Health Care Reform be Healthy For Nursing?

The Council of State Governments reports that, although there are regional differences, health care has emerged as state government officials' most important concern, with education and energy following close behind. There is no question that health care reform is necessary, but how will these initiatives will be funded?
copyright 2007, American Nurses Association
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New and Improved ANA Government Affairs Website is User Friendly

ANA's new and improved government affairs website includes a number of upgrades intended to make it easier for nurses to become engaged and active in the federal legislative and political process.
PAC'd With Fun, ANA-PAC is Looking for YOU

ANA-PAC will once again be accepting applications to serve on the ANA-PAC Board of Trustees. If you are interested in serving, let your CMA's leadership know as soon as possible.

HRSA Accepting Applications for Nurse Loan Repayment Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program through March 9. This ANA-supported program pays back up to 85 percent of outstanding student loans for approved RNs who agree to work full-time in a facility deemed to have a critical shortage of nurses.
ANA Government Affairs Staff on the Road

On January 30, Michelle Artz, Associate Director of Government Affairs gave the opening address at the Mississippi Nurses Association's (MNA) 2007 Nursing Summit in Jackson Mississippi. The summit was co-sponsored by more than 25 state nursing and health care organizations, and was attended by over 1,400 nurses and nursing students.
Annual U.S. Health Care Spending Expected to Double by 2016

According to a report released on Feb 21 by National Health Statistics Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) U.S. health care spending by 2016 will almost double to $4.1 trillion and account for 20 percent of every dollar spent.
ANA Endorses the Nursing School Capacity Act

ANA endorsed the Nursing School Capacity Act of 2007 (H.R. 677) on February 5. This bill, introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), would require the National Academy of Sciences to research: the reasons that schools of nursing are turning away qualified applicants; the sources of the faculty shortage; technologies which may improve clinical education, and; measures that can improve nurse retention.