A bill introduced by US Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) aims to streamline training requirements for certified nursing assistants to work in nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities. 

If passed, the Certified Nursing Assistant Workforce Improvement Act, would allow registered nurses with a minimum of two years of nursing experience to supervise CNA training, regardless of whether their experience comes from working in a nursing home or another healthcare facility.

The bill, introduced last month and endorsed by LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association, would replace a requirement that supervising RNs have two years of nursing experience, at least one year of which must be in a long-term care facility.

“By eliminating the long-term care requirement, this bill will ostensibly make more RNs available to supervise the training of CNAs, which will accelerate recruitment,” LeadingAge said.

According to Van Orden, the bill would especially benefit rural communities, where nursing homes are particularly short-staffed.

“This bill removes the bureaucratic red tape and gets more boots on the ground to ensure patients are receiving the care they need,” the congressman said.

Meanwhile, Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have re-introduced the Train More Nurses Act to address the nursing shortage affecting communities across the nation. 

The act, originally introduced in Congress in 2023, was re-introduced in February. 

If passed, the bill would direct the Health and Human Services and Labor secretaries to review nursing grant programs to find ways to increase faculty at nursing schools, especially those in underserved areas. Additionally, the legislation would increase pathways for licensed practical nurses to become RNs.

“One challenge in growing the nursing workforce to meet this demand is the limited supply of nursing faculty available to increase student enrollment and train the next generation of nurses,” Collins said. “This bipartisan legislation would identify strategies to close the faculty gap and expand our nursing workforce, ultimately improving access to care.”

The Healthcare Workforce Coalition expressed support for the bill last month in a letter to the sponsoring senators.

“The Train More Nurses Act will go a long way towards bolstering America’s nursing workforce, strengthening our healthcare system, enhancing patient access to care, and improving healthcare outcomes,” the coalition said.