S.Amdt. 6045

SA 6045. Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. Daines, Ms. Collins, and Mr. King) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle G of title V, add the following:

SEC. 5___. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING WOMEN WHO SERVED AS CADET NURSES DURING WORLD WAR II.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

(1) In June of 1943, Congress enacted the Bolton Act, establishing the United States Cadet Nurse Corps as a uniformed service of the Public Health Administration. Through the Corps, women received free, expedited nursing education in exchange for “service in essential nursing for the duration of the war”.

(2) During World War II, the United States faced a severe shortage of qualified nurses, threatening the ability of the United States to meet domestic and military medical needs.

(3) In total, 124,065 women graduated from training under the Cadet Nurse program, going on to serve in military hospitals, Veterans Administration hospitals, Marine hospitals, private hospitals, public health agencies, and public hospitals until the program ended in 1948.

(4) In 1944, the Federal Security Agency identified “national recognition for rendering a vital war service” as a privilege of service in the Corps.

(5) By 1945, Cadet Nurses accounted for 80 percent of the domestic nursing workforce.

(6) The Cadet Nurse Corps has been credited with preventing the collapse of the domestic nursing workforce.

(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that women who served in the Cadet Nurse Corps honorably stepped up for their country during its time of need in World War II, significantly contributing to the war effort and the safety and security of the United States.

(c) Expression of Gratitude.--Congress hereby expresses deep gratitude for the women who answered the call to duty and served in the Cadet Nurses Corp.