; Whereas nurses are the cornerstone of the public health infrastructure, promoting healthy lifestyles and educating communities on disease prevention and health promotion; Whereas nurses are strong allies to Congress as they help inform, educate, and work closely with legislators to improve the education, retention, recruitment, and practice of all nurses and, more importantly, the health and safety of the patients they care for; Whereas increased Federal and State investment is needed to support programs such as the Nursing Workforce Development Programs (title VIII of the Public Health Service Act), which bolster the nursing workforce at all levels, to increase the number of doctorally prepared faculty members, and to educate more nurse research scientists who can discover new nursing care models to improve the health status of the Nation’s diverse population; Whereas nurses touch lives of United States citizens from birth to the end of life; and Whereas nurses have been voted as the Nation’s most honest and ethical profession for the past 15 years: Now, therefore, be it