2024 Policy Actions

The Academy joined 59 other health care organizations in a sign on letter which urged leaders in the House and Senate to consider and pass the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7153/S. 3679) before the close of the 118th Congress. The Lorna Breen Act protects health care provider wellbeing by enacting measures that reduce clinician burnout, prevent suicide, and advance mental health support. 

The Academy sent comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding their proposed additions to Healthy People 2030. The letter comments on objectives that aim to increase environmental health content in nurse training programs, devise strategies to reduce heat-related deaths, and increase the proportion of adults receiving age-appropriate vaccinations. 

The Academy joined an amicus brief led by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other health care organizations on the appeal of an Idaho law banning abortion and whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirement that clinicians provide care to patients experiencing medical emergencies preempts state law. EMTALA plays a critical role in ensuring that patients across the country have access to emergency medical care and lifesaving interventions, including for patients experiencing pregnancy complications requiring interventions including abortion when necessary to preserve the patients' life.

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other health care organizations challenging legislation in the state of North Carolina that would limit patient access to mifepristone, a safe and effective drug used in medication abortion and miscarriage management. 

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other health care organizations in response to Florida's appeal of the June 11 ruling in Doe v. Surgeon General, State of Florida. This brief urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to uphold the district court's injunction to Florida's rules restricting gender-affirming care for patients under 18.

The Academy joined 56 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in a sign on letter to the House of Representatives, which urged lawmakers to consider and pass H.R.618, the Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act. This legislation would update the federal workers' compensation program and authorize NPs to certify disabilities and oversee treatment for ill or injured federal employees under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA).

The Academy joined 63 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in a sign on letter to the Congressional Leadership, as well as the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, requesting at least $310.472 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $197.693 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research in fiscal year (FY) 2025, as outlined in the Senate Appropriations Committee passed bill.

The Academy sent comments to the Administration on Community Living regarding their Strategic Framework for a National Plan on Aging. The strategic framework will develop a national set of recommendations on key aging issues in the areas of age-friendly communities; housing; long-term services; and health care.

The Academy sent comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. The comments highlighted considerations for telehealth flexibilities; access to behavioral health services; infectious disease care; primary care payment structures; and social determinants of health-related care needs.

The Academy joined 9 other nursing organizations on the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) Workgroup in a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. The comments highlighted considerations for telehealth flexibilities and policies that allow APRNs to practice to the top of their licensure and education.

The Academy joined with 217 health care organizations, institutions, and individuals in a letter thanking the Senate Appropriations Committee for passing the Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Appropriations bill. This bill provides strong funding for biomedical and public health research, including a nearly $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health.

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other health care organizations related to an appeal in the state of Tennessee regarding their legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of eighteen.

The Academy joined 63 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in sending a letter to Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) providing comments on the discussion framework to strengthen the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These comments underscore the rich history of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), outline the important work of our nurse researchers and scientists, and urge Congress to preserve NINR as an independent institute within NIH.

The Academy sent a letter to Representative McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, providing comments on the discussion framework to strengthen the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The letter asks that Congress thoughtfully consider NIH reorganization and the impact the current proposal would have on the biomedical research community, both for nursing and beyond. 

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other health care organizations related to an appeal in the state of Montana regarding their legislation restricting abortion. 

The Academy joined 48 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in sending a comment letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encouraging them to ensure that nurses are among those represented within federal advisory committees, task forces, and councils.

The Academy joined 63 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in a sign on letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee reiterating support for at least $530 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research in FY2025.

The Academy and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Sexual & Gender Minority Research regarding their request for information on the Development of the Fiscal Years (FY) 2026 - 2030 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Sexual & Gender Minority Health Research. The Academy’s LGBTQ+ Health, Women’s Health, and Health Equity Expert Panels along with the CANS Science Committee contributed to the development of the response.

The Academy sent a letter to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy in support of the recent Surgeon General's Advisory on Firearm Violence. The Advisory declares firearm violence in America a public health crisis, and calls for greater investments in firearm violence prevention research and risk reduction strategies. The Academy has long supported policies to reduce firearm violence, outlined in the Academy's 2022 Statement on Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention.

The Academy joined 107 other health care organizations on a letter to Sens. Markey (D-MA) and Capito (R-WV) and Reps. Cammack (R-FL) and Magaziner (D-RI) in support of the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers (ABC) Act (S. 3109/H.R. 8018). The ABC Act would help reduce burdens affecting family caregivers in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Social Security programs.

The Academy joined 433 other health care organizations on a letter to House and Senate Appropriations leaders requesting $35 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), $25 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and $1 million for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

The Academy joined 63 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in sending a letter urging Congress to take action on top appropriations and legislative priorities that impact nursing education, workforce, and research. 

The Academy joined 57 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) on written testimony submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-ED). The testimony featured the coalition's funding requests of at least $530 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

The Academy sent a letter to the National Academy of Medicine's Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct Project Steering Committee regarding their request for information on Artificial Intelligence in Health, Health Care, and Biomedical Science: An AI Code of Conduct Principles and Commitments Discussion Draft. 

The Academy joined 56 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) in sending a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) outlining the funding requests of at least $530 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $210 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other health care organizations related to an appeal in the state of Montana regarding their legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of eighteen.

The Academy joined a letter with 129 members of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) outlining a funding request of $20 million for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) and the Academy sent a letter to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on the Assessment of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research on Women’s Health regarding their request for information on gaps in women’s health research across NIH Institutes and Centers. The Academy's Women's Health Expert Panel and CANS contributed to the development of the response.

The Academy joined 58 other nursing organizations on a letter led by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to leaders of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urging them to release their proposed workplace violence prevention standard. The letter comes a year after the agency officially began its rulemaking process to address workplace violence in health care as workplace violence continues to rise across the country.

The Academy, along with 58 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), sent a letter thanking Senate Nursing Caucus Co-Chair Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and House Nursing Caucus Vice Co-Chair and nurse, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), for reintroducing the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act (H.R.7266/S.3770). This bill would help enhance enrollment and recruitment of nursing students, hire and retain faculty, and support the modernization of nursing education infrastructure.

The Academy joined an amicus brief led by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other health care organizations related to whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirement that clinicians provide care to patients experiencing medical emergencies preempts the Idaho law banning abortion. EMTALA plays a critical role in ensuring that patients across the country have access to emergency medical care and lifesaving interventions, including for patients experiencing pregnancy complications requiring interventions including abortion when necessary to preserve the patients' life.

The Academy, along with members of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, joined letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) requesting an increase in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) for Fiscal Year 2025. This increase would help OSH respond to high rates of e-cigarette use among youth and the devastating toll that tobacco continues to take on health.

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other health care organizations related to an appeal of the July 25, 2023 amicus brief in the state of Idaho regarding their legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of eighteen.

The Academy, along with 170 other health care organizations, joined a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) requesting $500 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. This request reflects an inflation adjustment from FY10 and the demonstrated need to expand and accelerate health services research investments.

The Academy, along with 41 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) sent a letter to Representative David Scott (D-GA-13) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), in opposition to the Protect Lifesaving Anesthesia Care for Veterans Act of 2023 (H.R.3347/S.2070). This legislation would unnecessarily, and unjustifiably, restrict access for our Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice at the full extent of their education and training within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), adversely impacting the health care of our nation’s veterans.

The Academy joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health care organizations related to an appeal of the August 2022 amicus brief challenging the state of Texas’s efforts to investigate gender-affirming care as “child abuse.”

The Academy, along with 62 members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) sent a letter to Congressional Leadership, as well as to House and Senate Appropriations Committees, requesting at least $302.472 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $197.693 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in fiscal year 2024, as outlined in the bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Academy, along with 1,103 organizations sent a letter to Congressional Leadership, urging them to finish the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations process and adopt the bipartisan Senate funding framework as a starting point for final negotiations instead of performing funding cuts to non-defense discretionary appropriations for FY24.

The Academy has joined an amicus brief along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other health care organizations related to an appeal of the August 11 amicus brief in the state of Texas regarding their legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care to individuals under the age of eighteen.