Funding for Advanced Nursing Education Program Restored

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2007 — New York, NY — The US House of Representatives handily passed its FY 2008 Labor-HHS-Education bill which includes funding for nurse workforce development. The final vote, which took place on July 19, was was 276-140. The passage, with 66.4 percent of the vote, is within striking distance of the 66.7 percent (290) needed for a veto override.

"As we had hoped for and worked toward, funding for Advanced Education Nursing, slated to be eliminated in the president's proposed budget for FY 2008, was restored to its FY 2007 level as per the recommendation of the House Committee on Appropriations," announced Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing. Loan Repayment and Scholarships received a slight increase over the president's proposed budget, and the Nursing Faculty Loan Program received an additional $3 million bringing that line item to $7,773,000.

"The NLN urges constituents to thank their Congressional representatives who voted in favor of this appropriation," said NLN president Dr. Toni Bargagliotti. "And since President Bush has promised to veto this bill, it is also important that those representatives who voted against the bill hear from you or the likely presidential veto will not be overturned." To see how various members of Congress voted click here: http://capwiz.com/nln/vote.xc/?votenum=686&chamber=H&congress=1101&voteid=10052941&state=US

Dr. Malone added, "We look forward to the Senate vote later in this session and anticipate that their actions will equally contribute to addressing the acute shortage of nurses and concomitant shortage of nurse educators that negatively affect the nation's health care needs."

Reporters/Editors: For interview opportunities, please call Karen R. Klestzick, chief communications officer at the NLN, at 212-812-0376 or email kklestzick@nln.org.

More information about Government Affairs www.nln.org/governmentaffairs/.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 22,000 individual and 1100 institutional members.

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