PHOENIX - U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) has recently proposed legislation designed to alleviate the nationwide nursing shortage by increasing the pool of qualified nursing faculty.  The America's Partnership for Nursing Education Act of 2007 would allocate $20 million annually during fiscal years 2008 through 2012 and grant eligible states a minimum of $2 million annually to increase capacity in nursing education programs.

To qualify, states must have U.S. Census Bureau data projecting a population increase of more than 50 percent between 1990 and 2025 and federal Health Resources and Services Administration estimates forecasting that their region will have fewer than 555 employed RNs per 100,000 residents by 2020.

States also must sponsor programs to increase the number of nursing faculty and invest a minimum of $2 million annually between 2008 and 2012 in programs designed to increase number of faculty at college- and university-based nursing programs.

Pastor says the legislation, which is supported by the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, will help stem the nursing shortage by addressing critical capacity issues at the nation's nursing education programs.