March 2026

Advocacy & Engagement

102 Representatives Support FY 2027 Funding for Title VIII in House Dear Colleague Letter

On March 27, a record one hundred and two Representatives signed onto the bipartisan House of Representatives Dear Colleague letter, requesting $610 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs in FY 2027.  

NCC Thanks Senator Merkley and Congresswoman Underwood for introducing the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act

On March 23, fifty-eight 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 FAAN Act (H.R.6607/S.3435). This bill would help enhance enrollment and recruitment of nursing students, hire and retain faculty, and support the modernization of nursing education infrastructure.

NCC Thanks Senator Durbin and Congresswoman Bonamici for Introducing the Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act

On March 17, fifty-five members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) sent a letter thanking Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), along with other supporters, for introducing the Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act (S.3707/H.R.7279) and urging its inclusion in any health care or workforce package. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would provide much needed grant funding to close the pay gap between faculty and clinical nurses.

NCC Sends Comments to the Department of Education Supporting Nursing as a Professional Degree 

On March 2, all sixty-five members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto written comments to the Department of Education (ED). The comments strongly requested that ED explicitly include post-baccalaureate nursing programs (MSN, DNP, PhD) in its definition of “professional degree” programs as it implements the Public Law 119-21 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1).

Nursing and Friends Send Comments in Response to the Department of Education’s Proposed Rule
On March 2, two hundred and seventy-seven national and state-level organizations signed onto written comments to the Department of Education urging them to amend their proposed rule and include post-baccalaureate nursing degrees (MSN, DNP, PhD) explicitly in the list of “professional” degrees.

Events & Meetings

The Nursing Community Coalition held a virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Federal Funding Opportunities: Apply Today

Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs:

Nurse Corps Scholarship Repayment Program. This program pays for tuition, fees, and other educational costs, along with a monthly stipend, to eligible nursing students in exchange for working at a critical shortage facility. To learn more, click here to see HRSA’s toolkit for this program. Apply by April 9, 2026 at 7:30 pm (ET).

NCC Connections

• The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) is accepting nominations for its 2026 awards to be presented during the NightinGala. Individuals may self-nominate, or you may nominate one of your colleagues. Click here to submit a nomination today, March 31, 2026. 
• FNINR is also hosting its annual NightinGala on October 7, 2026. For more information and to register, click here.

In Case You Missed It…

• One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3A) Updates
  • On March 2, Senate Nursing Caucus Co-Chairs, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), House Nursing Caucus Vice Co-Chair and Nurse, Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), and House Nursing Caucus Vice Chair, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), led a sign-on comment letter to the Department of Education on this issue. The comment letter has been signed by over 150 bipartisan, bicameral Members of Congress. A full list of organizations that endorsed this letter can be found here. 
  • On March 2, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) sent a comment letter to the Department of Education on this issue.
  • On March 2, Virginia Sens. Mark Warner (D) and Tim Kaine (D) sent a comment letter to the Department of Education supporting a broader definition of professional degrees that encompasses all post-baccalaureate health degrees, including those for nursing. 
  • On March 2, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) sent a comment letter to the Department of Education urging them to reconsider the proposed rule, and requested additional clarification from the Department on how the rule could impact the nursing workforce.  
• On February 25, Becker’s published an article titled, “Limiting loans for nurses will make our country’s health care crisis worse.”
• On March 4, Inside Higher Ed published an article titled, “Lawmakers and Universities Push Back on Loan Caps.”

Post of the Month

Thank you to @SenJeffMerkley, @SenatorWicker, @RepJenKiggans, @RepBonamici, and more than 150 bipartisan Members of Congress for signing onto public comments to the Department of Education supporting nursing as a professional degree. To read, click here: https://bit.ly/4boiUeI

HPASC Purpose and Objectives

To promote awareness within the DNA of issues and concerns in the area of Health Policy and Advocacy that assists DNA and it’s members to achieve their strategic goal of effectively advocating for members, patients, and the general public by:

1. Increasing membership involvement and understanding in health policy and advocacy efforts.
2. Acting as a resource for information on issues related to health policy and advocacy.
3. Working with members to investigate, consider, report, and act on advocacy issues commensurate with DNA’s Strategic plan.
4. Facilitating membership awareness, discussions, and activities.

HPASC Projects

• Support nursing within the Nursing Community
• Support cancer research, prevention, and education with One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC)
• Support State  Legislation to  prohibit tanning bed use by Children with The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network ACS CAN
• Support The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association SUNucate

Health Policy Advocacy Scanning Council

Elizabeth Jonas, LNP -Co-Chair
Karrie Fairbrother, BSN, CDE, DNC
Maura Flynn, MPP, RN, DNC
Gayle Peterson, RN-BC

HPASC Official Advocacy Toolkit

Advocacy is hard to describe because it’s so very personal. That is because advocacy just means your voice. Whether a local school board or your states senator in D.C., you are the voice that can affect change but if you remain silent, your voice will not be counted for.

The DNA wanted to create a toolkit for all dermatology healthcare providers to be able to affect change where they see fit. We encourage you to look for small wins, these realistic achievements snowball into bigger wins through collaboration and visibility.

We encourage you to find a way to start down a path for change today. Learn about the political process, send an email to a representative, download a calendar of events, volunteer for a committee, join a patient advocacy group. Together, we will have our voices and our patient’s voices heard.

DCAN’s Advocacy Toolkit – DCAN is excited to release its new advocacy toolkit. It’s an extensive guide on how patients and clinicians can overcome payer resistance.