(a) Adopt criteria for awarding grants to post-secondary education institutions under this section;

(b) Based on the criteria, select post-secondary education institutions to receive grants to support nursing education programs; and

(c) Determine the amounts of the grants to be distributed under ORS 353.603.

(2) The goal of the committee in adopting criteria and selecting grant recipients shall be to increase the capacity of nursing education programs statewide.

(3) The criteria adopted by the committee shall include, but not be limited to, consideration for:

(a) Whether the grant funds will be used to increase the capacity of a nursing education program;

(b) Whether the grant funds will be matched with funds from other sources or used to leverage additional funds from other sources;

(c) Ensuring that grant funds are awarded for nursing education programs in both urban areas and rural areas of the state;

(d) Ensuring that grant funds are used to increase the capacity for all levels of nursing education; and

(e) Ensuring that grant funds are used to increase the diversity of people who enter nursing education programs, including targeting underrepresented groups of people in the nursing profession.

(4) The total amount of grants awarded by the committee may not exceed the amount of moneys available for distribution as grants.

(5) A post-secondary education institution awarded a grant under this section may use the grant funds to:

(a) Develop nursing education program infrastructure;

(b) Train additional nurse educators;

(c) Develop regional learning laboratories;

(d) Provide technical support to nursing education programs;

(e) Create learning materials that supplement available faculty expertise;

(f) Coordinate student clinical experiences statewide; and

(g) Expand the capacity of nursing education programs to train new nurses across the state. [2003 c.697 §6]