112 STAT. 3568 PUBLIC LAW 105-392—NOV. 13, 1998 "PART C—INCREASING NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY 42 USC 296m. "SEC. 821. WORKFORCE DIVERSITY GRANTS. "(a) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary may award grants to and enter into contracts with eligible entities to meet the costs of special projects to increase nursing education opportunities for individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among registered nurses) by providing student scholarships or stipends, pre-entry preparation, and retention activities. "(b) GUIDANCE.— In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall take into consideration the recommendations of the First, Second and Third Invitational Congresses for Minority Nurse Leaders on 'Caring for the Emerging Majority,' in 1992, 1993 and 1997, and consult with nursing associations including the American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National Black Nurses Association, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the Association of Asian American and Pacific Islander Nurses, the Native American Indian and Alaskan Nurses Association, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. "(c) REQUIRED INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS FOR AWARD RECIPIENTS.— "(1) IN GENERAL. — Recipients of awards under this section may be required, where requested, to report to the Secretary concerning the annual admission, retention, and graduation rates for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic and racial minorities in the school or schools involved in the projects. "(2) FALLING RATES.—If any of the rates reported under paragraph (1) fall below the average of the two previous years, the grant or contract recipient shall provide the Secretary with plans for immediately improving such rates. "(3) INELIGIBILITY.—A recipient described in paragraph (2) shall be ineligible for continued funding under this section if the plan of the recipient fails to improve the rates within the 1-year period beginning on the date such plan is implemented. "PART D—STRENGTHENING CAPACITY FOR BASIC NURSE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE 42 USC 296p. "SEC. 831. BASIC NURSE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE GRANTS. "(a) IN GENERAL. — The Secretary may award grants to and enter into contracts with eligible entities for projects to strengthen capacity for basic nurse education and practice. "(b) PRIORITY AREAS. —In awarding grants or contracts under this section the Secretary shall give priority to entities that will use amounts provided under such a grant or contract to enhance the educational mix and utilization of the basic nursing workforce by strengthening programs that provide basic nurse education, such as through— "(1) establishing or expanding nursing practice arrangements in noninstitutional settings to demonstrate methods to
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