42 U.S.C. § 296m — Workforce diversity grants

(a) In general (Authority). The Secretary may award grants to, and enter into contracts with, eligible entities to cover the costs of special projects that increase nursing education opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among registered nurses. This can include student scholarships or stipends, stipends for diploma or associate-degree nurses entering a bridge or degree-completion program, student scholarships or stipends for accelerated nursing degree programs, pre-entry preparation, advanced education preparation, and retention activities. (b) Guidance. In carrying out (a), the Secretary must consider the recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, and consult with nursing associations — including the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations, the American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National Black Nurses Association, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the Association of Asian American and Pacific Islander Nurses, the Native American Indian and Alaskan Nurses Association, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, along with other organizations the Secretary decides are appropriate. (c) Required information and conditions for award recipients. (1) In general. Recipients of awards under this section may be required, when asked, to report to the Secretary on the annual admission, retention, and graduation rates for disadvantaged and minority students at the schools involved in the projects. (2) Falling rates. If any of these reported rates fall below the average of the previous two years, the recipient must give the Secretary a plan for immediately improving the rates. (3) Ineligibility. A recipient in that situation becomes ineligible for continued funding under this section if its plan fails to improve the rates within one year of the plan being put into effect.