Legislation Report from Washington
Below are some letters from leaders both in Washington and here in Indiana. As I will be reporting for Indiana I will also be reporting about events in D.C.
I feel that the our leaders do not understand what is needed to fix this problem. Just read the letters below and you will see that what has been done has not changed the problem at hand. We need more than the Band-Aid to fix this and it starts here.
Dear Mr. Lucas RN:
Thank you for contacting me regarding shortages in nursing staffing and funding. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and understand your concerns. As a member of the Special Committee on Aging, I am aware of the existing nursing shortage across the nation and understand the associated challenges this presents.
It is important that we invest in programs to ensure nurses and other nursing professionals are able to provide our communities with the highest level of care, especially during a time of such rapid technological advances. As the baby boomer population continues to age, the demand for health services is also expected to rise, increasing the need for qualified health professionals.
As you may know, in 2001, the Nurse Reinvestment Act was signed into law. This legislation amended the Social Security Act to establish programs to alleviate the nursing profession shortage. On September 3, 2003, S. Amdt.1542 was added to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor/HHS/Ed) Appropriations bill in order to increase funding for certain programs under the Nurse Reinvestment Act and other health professional development programs.
You may be interested to know, the Senate approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill on December 21, 2005. The bill provides $297 million for health professions programs, $151 million of which is allocated to nurse training. This financial support is essential to ensuring there are a sufficient number of high quality health professionals to meet our nation's health care needs. In addition, I recently signed a letter to the Appropriations Committee in support of increased funding for nurse education programs for FY 2007. Please be assured that as the appropriation process continues for this year, I will keep your views in mind.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided to you has been helpful. My website, , can provide additional details about legislation and state projects, and you can also sign-up to receive my monthly e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin, by clicking on the link at the top of the my homepage. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues that are important to you.
Office of Senator Evan Bayh
Russell 463
Below you will find a letter from leaders here in Indiana. If you have any letter or request please let me know.
Dear Mr. Lucas:
Thank you for the email regarding the nurse shortage and the importance of nurses to the healthcare system. Speaker Bauer greatly appreciates it whenever Hoosiers take the time to share their concerns with him.
I have forwarded your email to Speaker Bauer and his policy advisors so that they may review it and he may keep your concerns in mind when voting this session of the Indiana General Assembly.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views on this important issue. Please feel free to contact Speaker Bauer again in the future.
Sincerely,
Justin Moed
Legislative Assistant
Speaker B. Patrick Bauer
200 W. Washington St
Speaker's Office 3-2
Phone:
Reporting from your state
