FRANKFORT, Ky. — Two measures that supporters say will help address Kentucky’s nursing shortage are moving forward in Frankfort. 

The House passed Senate Bill 10 with nearly all members voting in favor of it. 

Rep. Kim Moser (R, Taylor Mill) said the bill removes red tape for out-of-state and foreign-trained nurses to practice in Kentucky, improve access to nursing programs by removing arbitrary enrollment limitations, and make updates to the board of nursing membership. 

She said that according to the Kentucky Nurses Association, Kentucky will need 16,000 nurses by 2024. 

The legislation was drafted with input from the Kentucky Board of Nursing, nursing programs and hospitals, according to Moser.

The House also passed House Bill 573, which sets up the Health Care Worker Loan Relief Program. 

“The health care worker shortages, as we discussed previously, have plagued our state for many years,” said Moser. “This immediately addresses the access to care issues and the shortage with another long-term solution to increase recruitment and retention ... What this would do is just supplement the federal funding. There’s a 50/50 ... state match for providing scholarships and a loan forgiveness program for an expanded list of health care workers.”