Bill Text: NJ AR85 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges Congress and President of United States to enact "National Nurse Act of 2013."

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-06-16 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR85 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR85-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 85

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

216th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2014

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  JOSEPH CRYAN

District 20 (Union)

Assemblywoman  NANCY J. PINKIN

District 18 (Middlesex)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Sumter

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Urges Congress and President of United States to enact "National Nurse Act of 2013."

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  

An Assembly Resolution urging Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "National Nurse Act of 2013."

 

Whereas, There is a rapidly growing epidemic of preventable diseases in the United States, which ranks 19^th in the world in the occurrence of preventable deaths; and

Whereas, Nurses are essential to the promotion of preventative care and health awareness and to increasing health literacy in order to reduce the rate of preventable illness and death; and

Whereas, Nurses, having been ranked as the "most trusted" professionals in our nation for more than a decade, are particularly well-positioned to deliver educational messages to the public about ways to improve public health and prevent disease; and

Whereas, There is currently a severe nursing shortage in the United States which is projected to grow worse as many senior nurses retire, creating an urgent need to encourage this nation's youth to explore careers in nursing and healthcare; and

Whereas, Proposed federal legislation entitled the "National Nurse Act of 2013" requires that the part-time position of Chief Nurse Officer of the United States Public Health Service, who also serves as the Assistant Surgeon General, be elevated to a full-time position within the Office of the Surgeon General and be officially titled the National Nurse for Public Health; and

Whereas, The new position of National Nurse for Public Health would elevate and enhance the critical role nursing occupies in promoting, protecting and advancing the nation's health, and will assist the Surgeon General in promoting a nationwide shift in healthcare prevention and wellness; and

Whereas, The National Nurse for Public Health will identify national health priorities, provide guidance and leadership for activities to promote public health, encourage volunteerism among nurses and other health professionals, develop projects that educate the public in prevention practices to achieve better health, encourage nurses to further their education in order to conduct nursing research, increase awareness of evidence-based practice, educate future nurses, and enhance recruitment in order to combat the serious nursing shortage; and

Whereas, It is in the best interest of the residents of New Jersey for Congress to enact and the President to sign this legislation to elevate the position of the Chief Nurse Officer of the United States Public Health Service in order to bring more visibility to the critical role nursing occupies in promoting, protecting, and advancing the mental and physical health of the nation's citizens; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

1.     The United States Congress and the President of the United

States are respectfully urged to enact the "National Nurse Act of 2013."

 

2.     Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the

Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to every member of Congress elected from this State.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution urges the United States Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "National Nurse Act of 2013," which designates that the part-time position of Chief Nursing Officer of the United States Public Health Service, who also serves as the Assistant Surgeon General, be elevated to a full-time position within the Office of the Surgeon General.  This new position, officially titled the National Nurse for Public Health, will bring more visibility to the critical role nursing occupies in promoting, protecting and advancing the nation's health, and assist the Surgeon General in promoting a nationwide shift in healthcare prevention and wellness.

     The United States of America faces a growing epidemic of preventable diseases, and ranks 19^th in the world in the occurrence of preventable deaths.  There is currently a severe nursing shortage in the United States which is projected to continue to grow, creating an urgent need to encourage this nation's youth to explore careers in nursing and healthcare.

     The new position created by the federal bill would identify national health priorities, provide guidance and leadership for activities to promote public health, encourage volunteerism of nurses and other health professionals, develop projects that educate the public in prevention practices to achieve better health, encourage nurses to further their education in order to conduct nursing research, increase awareness of evidence-based practice, educate future nurses, and enhance recruitment in order to combat the serious nursing shortage. 

     Nurses are highly trusted professionals who are particularly well-positioned to deliver educational messages to the public about ways to improve their health and prevent disease.

     Enactment of the "National Nurse Act of 2013," would provide nurses with an increasingly visible role in the fight against preventable illnesses.