Official Summary

5/20/2009--Introduced.Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act - Amends the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 to lift until September 30, 2012, the numerical limitations on employment-based immigrants (and accompanying family members) hired as nurses and physical

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Official Summary

5/20/2009--Introduced.Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act - Amends the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 to lift until September 30, 2012, the numerical limitations on employment-based immigrants (and accompanying family members) hired as nurses and physical therapists, subject to a cap of 20,000 visas. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award annual grants to nursing schools to increase the number of faculty and students at such schools. Establishes in the Treasury a Domestic Nursing Enhancement Account to fund such grant program. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to:
(1) allow an alien who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence and is a physician or other health care worker to work in a candidate country (defined to include a lower middle income country or one experiencing a natural disaster) without losing eligibility for naturalization; and
(2) make inadmissible alien physicians or health care workers who have an outstanding obligation to their country of origin based upon financial assistance received from such country for medical training. Allows a waiver of inadmissibility under certain circumstances. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a partnership program to award grants to certain healthcare and training entities to provide education to nurses and create a pipeline to nursing for incumbent ancillary health care workers who wish to advance their careers. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect and report to Congress on specified data on alien workers employed as professional nurses or physical therapists.

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