Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999
Public Law 106-95 · H.R. 441 · 106th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Nov 12, 1999 · Immigration
Sponsor: Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL-1)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Henry Hyde
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act of 1999 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a four-year nonimmigrant (H-1C visa) classification for nonimmigrant registered nurses in health professional shortage areas.
Requires that an alien: (1) have a full foreign nursing license or has received U.S. nursing education; (2) have passed an appropriate examination or is a licensed nurse in the State of intended employment; and (3) be fully eligible to begin work in the petitioning facility.
Requires the facility to file an employment attestation with the Department of Labor with respect to such alien (or aliens) evidencing that: (1) similarly employed nurse's wages and conditions will not be adversely affected; (2) the alien's wages will be the same as other similarly employed nurses; (3) steps are being taken to recruit U.S. nurses (as set forth by this Act); (4) no labor dispute is involved; (5) no more than one-third of the facility's registered nurses will be H-1C aliens; (6) employment will not be performed at a facility other than the petitioning facility; and (7) notice of the petition for such alien nurses has been filed with the bargaining unit or other representative of the facility's registered nurses.
Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) compile a public list of petitioning facilities; (2) establish a process for complaint receipt, investigation, and disposition (including civil monetary penalties) against a noncomplying facility; and (3) impose an attestation filing fee of up to $250.
Limits: (1) aggregate fiscal year H-1C entrants to 500; and (2) fiscal year entrants in any one State to 25 and 50 in States with less or more than nine million inhabitants, respectively. Defines "facility" as a hospital: (1) in a health shortage area; (2) with at least 190 acute care beds; and (3) with at least 35 percent and 28 percent of its patients being Medicare and Medicaid patients, respectively.
Repeals the nonimmigrant nursing program (H-1A visa).
(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to recommend: (1) an alternative to the H-1C program as a permanent remedy to the registered nurse shortage; and (2) a more effective program enforcement system.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt certain nurses and physical therapists from foreign health care worker certification requirements.
(Sec. 5) Authorizes the Attorney General to waive the job offer requirement for an alien in the professions holding an advanced degree or of exceptional ability if in the national interest. Directs the Attorney General to grant such a waiver for an alien physician to work in a health care shortage area or at a Veterans facility if a Federal or State agency has previously determined such physician's work to be in the public interest (Prohibits such a physician to be issued a permanent resident visa or to adjust to permanent resident status before completing five years of such qualifying employment.)
(Sec. 6) Considers an accounting or management consulting service entity organized outside the United States to be an affiliate of certain U.S.- organized accounting or management consulting service entities if it markets its services under the same internationally recognized name through the same worldwide coordinating organization of which the U.S. entity is a member. (Thus permitting L-visa intra-company transfers of alien executives and employees.)
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Nov 12, 1999Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 106-95.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 3, 1999PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 2, 1999Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Smith (TX) moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.
- Oct 22, 1999FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Amendment SP 2327 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Amendment SP 2326 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jun 24, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 27, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 24, 1999FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Rogan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- May 12, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Mar 24, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- Mar 18, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Feb 25, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Feb 2, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.