PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3] · D–WA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 13, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-10-01 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed More Nurses in Rural Schools Act would let the Secretary allow qualifying school nurses to satisfy a federal loan repayment program’s service requirement by working in schools in designated areas with shortages of health professionals. Service would generally last at least two years, with longer commitments for part-time or partial-year work. The bill would also reserve at least 5 percent of the program’s available annual funds for school nurses.
This Act may be cited as the More Nurses in Rural Schools Act.
the Secretary may permit an individual to meet the requirement of subsection (f)(1)(A)(iv), relating to a period of obligated service, by agreeing to serve for a time period equal to 2 years, or such longer period as the individual may agree, as a school nurse in an elementary or secondary school located within a health professional shortage area (designated under section 332).
the Secretary shall increase the time period of service required under paragraph (1) so that such individual is required to serve the same number of hours as an individual serving in such a position on a full-year, full-time basis.
Of the amount made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, not less than 5 percent shall be used to provide for the participation of school nurses in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program as authorized by this subsection.
The bill would amend the Public Health Service Act to create an alternative way for qualifying school nurses to fulfill the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program’s service requirement. The Secretary could permit this option; approval would not be automatic. It would require two years of service, or a longer agreed period, in an elementary or secondary school in a designated health professional shortage area.
Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Secretary may permit an individual to meet the requirement of subsection (f)(1)(A)(iv), relating to a period of obligated service, by agreeing to serve for a time period equal to 2 years, or such longer period as the individual may agree, as a school nurse in an elementary or secondary school located within a health professional shortage area (designated under section 332).
A qualifying school nurse would have to be a registered nurse employed by a school, local educational agency, State, or State educational agency and qualified under State law to provide the listed health services for students.
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 assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other health services to meet student needs.
The bill would use the definitions of elementary and secondary schools in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
The terms elementary school and secondary school have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
For nurses working less than a full year, less than full time, or both, the Secretary would have to extend the service period so they work the same total hours as a full-year, full-time participant.
In the case of an individual described in paragraph (1) who agrees to serve in a position as a school nurse on less than a full-year basis or less than a full-time basis (or both), the Secretary shall increase the time period of service required under paragraph (1) so that such individual is required to serve the same number of hours as an individual serving in such a position on a full-year, full-time basis.
The Secretary would have to establish annual certification requirements to verify hours worked by participants serving part time or for less than a full year.
In the case of an individual described in paragraph (1) who agrees to serve in a position as a school nurse on less than a full-year basis or less than a full-time basis (or both)
The Secretary shall establish annual certification requirements for individuals described in subparagraph (A) for the purpose of verifying the number of hours worked by such individuals.
School nurses covered by the new service option would be exempt from assignment priorities and limitations in four specified provisions of existing law. The bill does not reproduce those provisions.
The assignment priorities and limitations under sections 333(a)(1)(D), 333(b), 333A(a)(1)(B)(ii), and 333A(a)(1)(B)(iii) shall not apply to an individual described in paragraph (1).
At least 5 percent of the funds made available each fiscal year for the existing loan repayment section would have to support school nurses participating under the new provision. This sets a minimum share of available funding without specifying a new dollar appropriation.
Of the amount made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, not less than 5 percent shall be used to provide for the participation of school nurses in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program as authorized by this subsection.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 13, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on October 1, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-13T16:08:34Z. 2026-10-01: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-10-01: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-10-01. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No provision unrelated to the school-nurse loan repayment proposal was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status and accompanying materials are not established by the bundle.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains an occupationally limited exemption from existing assignment rules, directly related to the bill’s main policy. Classification as a targeted benefit is not a judgment about its merits.
Qualifying school nurses using the proposed service option would receive a special exemption from specified assignment priorities and limitations. The beneficiaries are nurses serving in elementary or secondary schools in designated health professional shortage areas. Because the existing rules are not reproduced, the practical scope of this preferential treatment remains uncertain.
the Secretary may permit an individual to meet the requirement of subsection (f)(1)(A)(iv), relating to a period of obligated service, by agreeing to serve for a time period equal to 2 years, or such longer period as the individual may agree, as a school nurse in an elementary or secondary school located within a health professional shortage area (designated under section 332).
The assignment priorities and limitations under sections 333(a)(1)(D), 333(b), 333A(a)(1)(B)(ii), and 333A(a)(1)(B)(iii) shall not apply to an individual described in paragraph (1).
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 13, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI