The House Health Professions Subcommittee voted unanimously to report House Bill 1903, as amended, moving the package of health-workforce changes to the Appropriations Committee. Sponsors described the bill as building on recent progress by the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority and added new coordination and funding elements.

Key provisions described by sponsor Delegate Willett include creating a Virginia Nursing Workforce Center to centralize and coordinate nursing education and workforce planning; directing the Authority to develop a long-term strategic plan with a broad stakeholder work group; requiring coordination between the Authority and the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; and instructing the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to increase the maximum graduate medical education (GME) award for residency slots.

Delegate Willett explained the GME increase and an associated line-item change: "...we're increasing the, the payment amounts. That's gonna be from 100,000 to 100 and 65,000, for line 131." He said the center and coordination aim to address Virginia's continuing nursing shortage and faculty gaps.

More than a dozen organizations and practitioners testified in support, including the Virginia Nurses Association, nurse educators, the Central Virginia Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, HCA Hospitals, Old Dominion University, the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, and private colleges that graduate many nursing degrees. Testimony emphasized the need to retain and diversify the workforce, increase faculty capacity, and use data to measure program impacts.

The subcommittee voted to report and refer the bill, as amended, on a unanimous roll call.