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.

Flat Funding for Nursing
The continuing resolution contained $150 million in funding for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This is equivalent to the FY 2006 funding level. Final funding levels for the Title VIII programs are:

• Advanced Education Nursing—Provides grants to nursing schools, academic health centers, and other entities to enhance education and practice for nurses in master's and post-master's programs. Also supports traineeships to prepare nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, and public health nurses. These programs received $57 million.
  
• Workforce Diversity Grants—Provides grants to increase nursing educational opportunities for individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including students from economically disadvantaged families as well as racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in the nursing profession). These programs received $16 million.
  
• Nurse Education, Practice, and Retention Grants—Supports schools and nurses at the associate and baccalaureate degree level. Grants are provided to schools of nursing, academic health centers, nursing centers, state and local governments and other public or private nonprofit entities. Some grants (such as grants promoting the Magnet Hospital best practices for nursing administration) are also available to health care facilities. These programs received $37 million.
  
• Loan Repayment and Scholarship—The Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program repays 60 to 85 percent of nursing student loans in return for at least two years of practice in a facility designated to have a critical shortage of nurses. The Nursing Scholarship Program supports students enrolled in nursing school. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work full-time for at least two years in a facility designated to have a critical shortage of nurses. These programs received $31 million.
  
• Nurse Faculty Loan Program—Establishes loan programs within schools of nursing to support students pursuing masters and doctoral degrees. Upon graduation, loan recipients are required to teach at a school of nursing in exchange for cancellation of up to 85 percent of their educational loans, plus interest, over four years. These programs received $4.8 million.
  
• Comprehensive Geriatric Education Grants—Provides grants to train nurses who provide direct care for the elderly, to support geriatric nursing curriculum, to train faculty in geriatrics, and to provide continuing education to nurses who provide geriatric care. These programs received $3.4 million.

With the help of our N-STAT leaders, ANA was able to defeat a proposal that would have cut funding for Title VIII. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and James Inhofe (R-OK) attempted to add a last minute amendment to the CR designed to increase funding for the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. This amendment would have been funded by an across-the-board cut in all domestic non-defense appropriations (such as nurse education). ANA government affairs alerted N-STAT leaders who immediately contacted their Senators about this proposal. These nurse leaders argued that now was not the time to cut funding for nursing. Ultimately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NE) was able to keep this amendment off the CR.

Wicker Rider
The legislative rider championed by Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS) prohibiting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from enforcing annual fit-testing for respirators was not removed in the CR. ANA argued that this fit-testing is an important component of infectious disease control and pandemic readiness (read a related article).Unfortunately, Congressional leaders opted not to address any legislative riders in the FY 2007 CR. This decision was based on their desire to expedite debate on the bill. However, the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have assured ANA that they will oppose any effort to include the Wicker rider in the FY 2008 funding bills.

Erin Mckeon