A new bill is out in Congress that would exempt healthcare workers from the $100,000 fee for H-1B petitions installed last year by the Trump Administration.

Called the “H-1B’s for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act,” the proposal introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) also bans new H-1B fees from being imposed on healthcare workers that exceed the existing fees under the U.S. Code.

Reps. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) are bill co-sponsors.

This effort comes after Lawler and Clarke organized 100 members of Congress in urging the Dept. of Homeland Security to exempt the healthcare sector from the fee.

“With workforce shortages continuing to strain hospitals and health systems across the country, lawmakers are now moving forward with legislation to ensure physicians and other medical professionals can continue serving patients in communities that rely on them,” according to a statement by Lawler’s office.

Skilled nursing, along with the entire U.S. healthcare industry, relies in some manner on the H-1B visa program to recruit physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, particularly in rural and underserved communities facing workforce shortages, advocates for the bill said.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 87 million Americans live in areas federally designated as lacking enough medical professionals to meet community health care needs.

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