LaHood, Davis unveil bipartisan bill to protect nurse training programs

U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) recently introduced a bill to prevent a clawback of federal funding for hospital-based nurse training programs.

“I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to protect Illinois’ hospital-based nursing schools that often serve rural and underserved communities, support our hard-working nurses and health professionals, and strengthen our health system,” Rep. LaHood said.

Reps. LaHood and Davis on July 13 introduced the Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, H.R. 4407, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) to make a technical correction to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program that supports the training of nurses and other allied health professionals at hospital-based nursing schools across the country, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers. 

“Nursing programs operated by hospitals are critical to educating the next generation of nurses, particularly as we recover from the pandemic,” said Rep. Davis. “CMS’s attempts to recoup past payments would be detrimental to Illinois’ health care industry, as this unfair action could lead to the closure of entire programs. 

“That’s why I’m proud to team up with Rep. LaHood and other colleagues in the House to introduce this bipartisan bill to protect Illinois’ hospital-based nursing programs that create so many vital healthcare jobs.” Rep. Davis added.

Due to a technical error in how CMS previously administered the program, many hospital-based nursing schools, including those in Illinois, such as the Saint Francis College of Nursing in Peoria and the Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing in Quincy, may be required to send millions of dollars back to CMS, according to the lawmakers, who said the threat of recoupment could curtail programs or cause schools to shut down entirely, further limiting the nation’s nursing workforce. 

“Hospital-based nursing schools in the 18th district of Illinois play an important role in educating nurses and supporting our communities – particularly this past year as we have navigated the challenging COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. LaHood. “CMS’s proposed recoupment of federal funding already paid to hospital-based nursing schools could threaten the operations of nursing colleges while we continue to face nursing shortages across the country.”

If enacted, the TRAIN Act would ensure hospital-based nursing schools that received previous CMS funding can keep those resources and put them toward training, and would prohibit CMS from recouping overpayments made in past years to hospital-based programs, the summary says.

Companion legislation, S. 1568, was introduced in May by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).