,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cje ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #i1 #bjbe,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,education to carry out a grant program to assist local educational agencies with ensuring that each elementary and secondary school has at least one registered nurse on staff4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,one ,school1 ,one ,nurse ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,purpose2 findings 7a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to assist ,states and local educational agencies with ensuring that every elementary and secondary school has at least one full-time registered nurse on staff1 and to maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios1 including through the recruitment1 hiring1 and retention of registered nurses4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,american ,academy of ,pediatrics1 every elementary and secondary school should have at least one full-time registered nurse on staff4 7#b7 ,according to the ,national ,center for ,education ,statistics1 during the #bjae-bjaf school year1 only about half of all public schools had a full-time registered nurse and nearly #bj percent did not have any nurse on staff4 ,schools with higher free or reduced-price lunch program eligibility rates had lower rates of school nurses4 7#c7 ,according to the ,georgetown ,university ,center for ,children and ,families1 in #bjai1 roughly #f percent of children in the ,united ,states were uninsured4 7#d7 ,for children who lack health care coverage1 a school nurse is often a critical source of health services4 7#e7 ,studies suggest that schools with a full-time registered nurse experience far-reaching benefits including fewer student absences1 students spending more time in class1 more accurate medical records1 higher immunization rates1 fewer student pregnancies1 and better health outcomes for students with asthma or diabetes4 7#f7 ,school nurses play a critical role in helping to manage the chronic physical1 emotional1 mental1 and social health needs of students1 conduct health screenings1 facilitate vaccinations and immunization compliance efforts1 reduce burdens on educators and other school staff1 and support a positive and healthy school climate4 #c4 ,one ,school1 ,one ,nurse grant program 7a7 ,grant program authorized ,not later than #ab months after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall establish a program to award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities to carry out the activities under subsection 7d74 ,grants awarded under this section shall be for a period of #e years4 7b7 ,application ,an eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 ,such application shall include-- 7#a7 a needs assessment of the eligible entity that demonstrates the existence of persistent shortages of school nurses or persistent shortages of full-time school nurses2 7#b7 a description of the health and wellness needs of the student population served by the eligible entity2 7#c7 a comprehensive plan for the use of grant funds to address persistent shortages described in the needs assessment under paragraph 7#a71 including a description of how such activities shall address the health and wellness needs described under paragraph 7#b7 and how such funds will be used to ensure that the eligible entity will continue to employ and retain school nurses after the completion of the grant period2 and 7#d7 a description of how the eligible entity will prioritize recruiting individuals from the communities served by the eligible entity and from underrepresented populations in public health professions 7as determined by the ,secretary by regulation71 and how the eligible entity will track progress in meeting any specified hiring goals4 7c7 ,selection and priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that-- 7#a7 are a high-need local educational agency1 or are a partnership between a ,state educational agency and a consortium of high-need local educational agencies2 and 7#b7 describe and set specific hiring goals towards increasing the share of school nurses who are from underrepresented populations in public health professions4 7d7 ,activities ,grant funds awarded under this section shall be used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the following activities3 7#a7 ,recruit and hire school nurses4 7#b7 ,provide resources necessary to convert part-time school nurse positions at elementary or secondary schools served by the eligible entity into full-time school nurse positions4 7#c7 ,support the retention of school nurses1 including by increasing salaries4 7#d7 ,maintain recommended nurse-to-student ratios 7as determined by the ,secretary by regulation74 7e7 ,reporting ,each eligible entity awarded a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary an annual report for each year of the grant award4 ,such report shall include-- 7#a7 a summary of the eligible entity's progress in employing at least one full-time registered nurse at each elementary and secondary school served by the eligible entity and maintaining recommended nurse-to-student ratios 7as determined by the ,secretary by regulation72 7#b7 data on the number and percentage of full-time and part-time school nurses1 disaggregated by major racial and ethnic groups and gender1 employed at each elementary and secondary school served by the eligible entity2 and 7#c7 a summary of any progress made by the eligible entity in addressing the health and wellness needs identified in the needs assessment required under subsection 7b77#b7 as a result of activities carried out with a grant under this section4 7f7 ,regulations required ,not later than #ab months after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services-- 7,a7 specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-student ratios for elementary and secondary schools2 7,b7 provide for guidance and other technical assistance to eligible entities with respect to achieving and maintaining such ratios2 and 7,c7 specify in regulation the definition of underrepresented populations in public health professions for the purposes of this section2 and 7#b7 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services and the ,secretary of ,labor1 specify in regulation the definition of full-time with respect to school nurses for the purposes of this section4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 a local educational agency2 or 7,b7 a partnership between a ,state educational agency and a consortium of local educational agencies in the ,state1 entered into for the purposes of a grant under this section4 7#b7 ,high-need local educational agency ,the term high-need local educational agency has the meaning given such term in section #bjj of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajba74 7#c7 ,local educational agency2 ,state educational agency ,the terms local educational agency and ,state educational agency have the meanings given such terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#d7 ,school nurse ,the term school nurse means a registered nurse who is employed by a school or local educational agency or ,state or ,state educational agency and is qualified under ,state law to provide assessment1 diagnosis1 counseling1 educational1 therapeutic1 and other health services to meet student needs4 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4