The “Power of Nurses” celebrated during Nurses Week May 6-May 12, 2026

Approximately 300,000 nurses in Pennsylvania and almost 6 million Registered and Practical Nurses throughout the U.S. (NCSBN Statsitics) are celebrating Nurses Week from May 6th through Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12, 2026.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is also celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. 

The ANA designated the 2026 National Nurses Week theme as “The Power of Nurses™”. Nurses’ power is in “… the vital role nurses play in healthcare, driving innovation, and impacting communities.” Well done nurses everywhere!

But nurses need help from the government to grow the numbers of nurses in the profession and to keep them safe in their workplace. 

In 2026, the Department of Education’s RISE Committee determined in its Final Rulemaking that nurses continuing their education for post-baccalaureate degrees do not fall under the DOE’s definition of professional degree, thus do not qualify for the same amount of student loans for their education as physicians, dentists, etc. This makes it more difficult for nurses to obtain loans to support their education. The RISE Committee received more than 60,000 letters, 277 national and state organizations signed the nursing and friends letter, and more than 150 members of Congress signed the bipartisan letter who wrote on behalf of their constituents prior to completing the Final Rule. But the DOE’s RISE Committee disregarded all appeals. The Department of Education’s final rule regarding the definition of professional degree programs, excluding nursing from the “professional degree” programs goes into effect July 1, 2026.

In addition, the 119th Legislative Session (2025-2026) of the U.S Congress and the previous two legislative sessions had before them proposed legislation for workplace violence in healthcare that is comparable to the enacted legislation addressing workplace violence in the airlines. Yet repeatedly the legislation for healthcare workers did not make it out of committee in order to reach a full vote. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines workplace violence as any physical assault, threatening behavior or verbal abuse occurring in the workplace. 

The American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) advocates for the Save Healthcare Workers Act (H.R. 3178/S. 1600), which aims to reduce violence by making it a federal crime to assault or intimidate hospital personnel. AONL (2025) notes the Save Healthcare Workers Act would:

• Establish federal criminal penalties (up to 10 years) for assaulting healthcare workers
• Protect staff across hospitals, long-term care, children’s hospitals, and critical access hospitals
• Include appropriate exemptions for individuals with mental, physical, or developmental disabilities
• Provide grant funding for violence prevention, training, and security improvements. 

Pennsylvania’s own Congressional House Representative Madeline Dean, along with Mariannette Miller-Meeks (representing Iowa), drafted and introduced H.R.3178 – Save Healthcare Workers Act (05/05/2025). 

In the current 119th Congress (2025-2026), only six of the 17 Pennsylvania House representatives have signed on as cosponsors. (Refer to Comparison of Cosponsors Table for names of representatives who signed onto support H.R. 3178.)

Comparison of Cosponsors 118th Congress vs 119th Congress

Pennsylvania District	H.R.2584 – Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act Introduced 04/13/2023, 118th Congress	H.R.3178 – Save Healthcare Workers Act Introduced 05/05/2025, 119th Congress
1st District	Brian Fitzpatrick (R) — since 2017 ☑️	Brian Fitzpatrick (R) — since 2017 ✅
2nd District	Brendan Boyle (D) — since 2015 ☑️	Brendan Boyle (D) — since 2015 🚫
3rd District	Dwight Evans (D) — since 2016 🚫	Dwight Evans (D) — since 2016 🚫
4th District	Madeleine Dean (D) — since 2019 ☑️ Primary cosponsor with Rep. Bucshon	Madeleine Dean (D) — since 2019 ✅ Primary sponsor with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
5th District	Mary Gay Scanlon (D) — since 2018 🚫	Mary Gay Scanlon (D) — since 2018 🚫
6th District	Chrissy Houlahan (D) — since 2019 ☑️	Chrissy Houlahan (D) — since 2019 ✅
7th District	Susan Wild (D) — since 2018 ☑️	Ryan Mackenzie (R) — since 2025 🚫
8th District	Matt Cartwright (D) — since 2013 🚫	Rob Bresnahan (R) — since 2025 🚫
9th District	Dan Meuser (R) — since 2019 ☑️	Dan Meuser (R) — since 2019 🚫
10th District	Scott Perry (R) — since 2013 🚫	Scott Perry (R) — since 2013 🚫
11th District	Lloyd Smucker (R) — since 2017 🚫	Lloyd Smucker (R) — since 2017 🚫
12th District	Summer Lee (D) — since 2023 🚫	Summer Lee (D) — since 2023 🚫
13th District	John Joyce (R) — since 2019 ☑️	John Joyce (R) — since 2019 ✅
14th District	Guy Reschenthaler (R) — since 2019 ☑️	Guy Reschenthaler (R) — since 2019 🚫
15th District	Glenn Thompson (R) — since 2009 ☑️	Glenn Thompson (R) — since 2009 🚫
16th District	Mike Kelly (R) — since 2011 ☑️	Mike Kelly (R) — since 2011 ✅
17th District	Chris Deluzio (D) — since 2023 ☑️	Chris Deluzio (D) — since 2023 ✅
Total Pennsylvania Cosponsors	11 cosponsors out of 17 PA representatives	6 cosponsors out of 17 PA representatives

Nurses can use their power to help push through H.R.3178 – Save Healthcare Workers Act by checking the column for the 119th Congress and writing to their representative if they haven’t yet signed on as a cosponsor to the bill, and provide their own story about where they work and the workplace violence they have witnessed or experienced, and ASK them to sign on as a cosponsor. 

Find Your Representative 

Nurses should remember that during Nurses Week and at all times the “Power of Nurses” can help them to continue to contribute to healthcare in their communities.