A 1864: Enacts the "Nurse of Tomorrow Act" to provide for grants from the state commissioner of education to public and not-for-profit hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, schools and other entities for nurse recruitment, education and retention costs and activities as described herein.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1864 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "Nurse of Tomorrow Act" to provide for grants to public and not-for-profit hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, schools and other entities for nurse recruitment, education and retention costs and activities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "Nurse of Tomorrow Act". 3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3615 to read 4 as follows: 5 § 3615. Nurse of tomorrow nurse recruitment, education and retention 6 incentive program. 1. Nurse recruitment and retention grants. a. The 7 commissioner shall award grants to public and not-for-profit hospitals 8 and skilled nursing facilities that are experiencing shortages in nurs- 9 ing personnel to be utilized toward the payment of the following costs: 10 (i) providing salary bonuses for nurses who make a commitment to work 11 in the hospital or skilled nursing facility for a multi-year period; 12 (ii) providing salary bonuses for nurses who have not been practicing 13 nursing for a period of at least five years and who make a commitment to 14 work in the hospital or skilled nursing facility for a multi-year peri- 15 od; 16 (iii) providing skills training and career development of nurses to 17 become certified in clinical specialty areas experiencing shortages in 18 the hospital or skilled nursing facility; 19 (iv) providing grants to encourage nurses to upgrade their skills to 20 enable them to work in clinical specialty areas experiencing shortages 21 in the hospital or skilled nursing facility; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03669-01-5 
 A. 1864 2 1 (v) providing salary bonuses for non-management nurses who recruit 2 nurses that stay employed at the hospital or skilled nursing facility 3 for at least one year; 4 (vi) providing tuition reimbursement for nurses who pursue study 5 towards a bachelor's degree in nursing or for other health care workers 6 who pursue associate degrees in nursing; 7 (vii) providing stipends to support summer internships for student 8 nurses at the hospital or skilled nursing facility; and 9 (viii) other nurse retention and recruitment strategies approved by 10 the commissioner. 11 b. In awarding grants pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner 12 shall give preference to public and not-for-profit hospitals and skilled 13 nursing facilities applicants in financial need as demonstrated by low 14 or negative operating margins. 15 2. Basic nurse education expansion grants. a. The commissioner shall 16 award grants to and enter into contracts with associate degree-granting 17 schools of nursing including, but not limited to single-purpose degree- 18 granting institutions affiliated with not-for-profit or public hospi- 19 tals, for the purpose of expanding the number of students who are 20 provided basic nurse education at such schools. 21 b. In awarding grants pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner 22 shall give preference to applicants that: 23 (i) have demonstrated the ability to recruit and create a multicul- 24 tural student body; 25 (ii) provide remedial education to help students with diverse needs 26 and backgrounds to master the language, reading and mathematics skills 27 necessary to attain a license; 28 (iii) provide the commissioner and the commissioner of health with a 29 plan to recruit nurse aides, licensed practical nurses and other health 30 care workers; 31 (iv) provide the commissioner and the commissioner of health with a 32 plan to build technologically modern classrooms and laboratories to 33 enable students to learn the latest technologies including, but not 34 limited to, medical error reduction technologies; and 35 (v) provide the commissioner and the commissioner of health with a 36 detailed plan to substantially expand the number of students enrolled in 37 the school over a four-year period. 38 3. Nurse education encouragement grants. The commissioner shall award 39 grants to collegiate schools of nursing, associate degree-granting 40 schools of nursing, diploma-granting schools of nursing, hospital or 41 other professional associations, not-for-profit or public hospitals and 42 skilled nursing facilities to enable such entities to work together with 43 school district authorities to develop programs to encourage secondary 44 school students to choose nursing as a profession. 45 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.