Supports nursing program bill

State Rep. David Scribner (R-Brookfield) today cast a vote in favor of H.B. 6336, An Act Concerning Nurses Pursuing Advanced Degrees. The bill has the potential to help expand the nursing program at Western Connecticut State University. Rep. Scribner, a member of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, was a co-sponsor of the bill.

If approved by the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, the legislation calls for the development of a graduate assistantship program for nurses enrolled as full or part-time matriculated students in the Doctor of Education program for nursing education at Western and Southern Connecticut State universities.

“The nursing program at Western Connecticut State University has proven to be successful over the course of the last several years,” said Rep. Scribner. “I will continue to support legislation that assists in efforts to strengthen and expand this successful course of study for WCSU students.”

The bill would also authorize a tuition waiver for nurses that are enrolled in the program full-time, or who provide at least 20 hours of teaching or research service at the university.