This bill creates a new federal program to help nursing schools hire and keep nursing teachers by offering them higher salaries. Right now, many nursing schools struggle to attract faculty because clinical nurses (nurses working in hospitals and clinics) often earn more money than nursing teachers do. This bill lets the federal government give grants directly to nursing schools to supplement their teachers' salaries, making the teaching positions more competitive.

Here's how it works: Nursing schools can apply for grants that will last up to 3 years. The grant money goes toward raising a nursing teacher's salary to match what they could earn as a clinical nurse in their area, adjusted for their experience and credentials. Schools have to show they have faculty vacancies or expect to have them, and they need to prove they'll find other funding sources to keep paying those higher salaries after the federal grant ends. The program prioritizes schools in areas with nursing shortages, schools serving low-income or underserved communities, and schools working to hire teachers from underrepresented groups. The federal government will get $15 million per year from 2027 through 2031 to run this program.