New bill aims to help immigrants enter the U.S. nursing workforce

On October 1, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) introduced the Immigrants in Nursing and Allied Health Act (H.R. 10708), alongside the Internationally Trained Physicians Assistance Act. The nursing bill would create grants for programs that provide training, licensing, certification, and case management for immigrants entering the health care field, and open National Health Service Corps eligibility to non-U.S.-citizen immigrants. “We have thousands of skilled nurses, doctors, and health professionals in this country whose training and expertise are going to waste because their professional expertise is not recognized,” said Rep. Smith. An estimated 200,000 nurses per year will need to be hired to meet demand and replace retiring nurses. The bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.