Recipients of grants and contracts under this subchapter shall meet information requirements as specified by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall establish procedures to ensure the annual evaluation of programs and projects operated by recipients of grants under this subchapter. Such procedures shall ensure that continued funding for such programs and projects will be conditioned upon the reporting of data and information demonstrating that satisfactory progress has been made by the program or project in meeting the performance outcome standards (as described in section 296a of this title) of such program or project.
Training programs conducted with amounts received under this subchapter shall meet applicable accreditation and quality standards.
Subject to paragraph (2), in the case of an award to an entity of a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under this subchapter, the period during which payments are made to the entity under the award may not exceed 5 years. The provision of payments under the award shall be subject to annual approval by the Secretary of the payments and subject to the availability of appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments. This paragraph may not be construed as limiting the number of awards under the program involved that may be made to the entity.
In the case of an award to an entity of a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under this subchapter, paragraph (1) shall apply only to the extent not inconsistent with any other provision of this subchapter that relates to the period during which payments may be made under the award.
Each application for a grant under this subchapter, except advanced nurse traineeship grants under section 296j(a)(2) of this title, shall be submitted to a peer review group for an evaluation of the merits of the proposals made in the application. The Secretary may not approve such an application unless a peer review group has recommended the application for approval.
Each peer review group under this subsection shall be composed principally of individuals who are not officers or employees of the Federal Government, and have relevant expertise and experience. In providing for the establishment of peer review groups and procedures, the Secretary shall, except as otherwise provided, ensure sex, racial, ethnic, and geographic representation among the membership of such groups.
This subsection shall be carried out by the Secretary acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Activities under grants or contracts under this subchapter shall, to the extent practicable, be consistent with related Federal, State, or regional nursing professions program plans and priorities.
Applications for grants or contracts under this subchapter may be submitted by health professions schools, schools of nursing, academic health centers, State or local governments, or other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities as determined appropriate by the Secretary in accordance with this subchapter.
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a for-profit entity may be eligible for a grant or contract under this subchapter as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
Not later than September 30, 2020, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, a report that contains an assessment of the programs and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services related to enhancing the nursing workforce, including the extent to which programs and activities under this subchapter meet the identified goals and performance measures developed for the respective programs and activities, and the extent to which the Department coordinates with other Federal departments regarding programs designed to improve the nursing workforce.