Legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) that helps hospitals in South Texas attract nurses and reauthorizes the H-1C temporary visa program for foreign nurses to come to the United States was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee today and now heads for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We are in great need of highly qualified and skilled nurses in Texas hospitals to help us care for the ill,” Congressman Cuellar said. “Hospitals need these nurses to help treat the scores of people who need medical attention as well as to assist medical doctors in carrying out their day-to-day practices. I will continue to work with Congressman Lamar Smith, as well as other members of Congress in a bi-partisan way, to secure a vote in the House of Representatives. This is a big step forward to get our communities the resources to address its health needs.”

About the H-1C Temporary Visa Program:

In 1999, Congress passed the “Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act” to help hospitals that serve mostly low income patients in inner-city neighborhoods as well as hospitals in rural areas.  The bill created a new “H-1C” temporary registered nurse visa program where 500 visas become available each year and nurses are allowed a three year stay. The visa program expired in December 2009.

To be able to petition for a foreign nurse, an employer has to meet four conditions.  First, the employer has to be located in a health professional shortage area.  Second, the employer has to have at least 190 acute care beds.  Third, a certain percentage of the employer’s patients have to be Medicare patients.  And fourth, a certain percentage of patients have to be Medicaid patients.
The H-1C program also contains protections for American nurses. For instance, a hospital has to agree to take timely and significant steps to recruit American nurses. Also, hospitals have to pay the prevailing wage. It also requires that foreign nurses cannot comprise more than one-third of a hospital’s registered nurses.