Advocacy Correspondence: Pennsylvania Senate, HAP Support for Senate Bill 998

April 20, 2026

Members of the Pennsylvania Senate:

On behalf of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and our 235 member hospitals and health systems across the commonwealth, HAP writes today in strong support of Senate Bill 998, sponsored by Senators Rosemary Brown and Maria Collett.

Senate Bill 998 would establish the Nurse Education Capacity Grant Program to support accredited, high-performing nursing programs in expanding enrollment and strengthening the pipeline of future nurses. These grants would allow programs to:

• Hire new full- or part-time faculty or assistants.
• Enhance compensation packages to attract and retain instructors.
• Strengthen clinical partnerships and preceptorship opportunities.

By 2032, Pennsylvania will need to add almost 9,000 more RNs and more than 11,000 additional nursing assistants each year. Across the commonwealth, nursing programs are turning away qualified applicants due to limited faculty, clinical placements, and training resources. Nurses often earn higher pay at the bedside than in teaching roles, making it difficult to attract and retain qualified instructors. This creates a bottleneck that artificially restricts the number of nurses who can complete training and enter the health care workforce. 

SB 998 takes a targeted, practical approach to addressing this issue by investing in the workforce capacity within nursing education programs.

A vote in support of SB 998 is a vote to support the next generation of nurses, strengthen the health care workforce, and maintain access to care in communities across Pennsylvania.

HAP respectfully urges a YES vote on SB 998.

Sincerely,

Arielle Chortanoff
Vice President, State Advocacy

 

 

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Topics: State Advocacy, Workforce

Revision Date: 4/20/2026

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