(1) Nurse aides in this Commonwealth are required to successfully complete a State-approved training and evaluation in order to be employed as a nurse aide in a skilled nursing facility or nursing facility in this Commonwealth.

(2) The purpose of the training, as mandated by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330), is to ensure that nurse aides have the education, practical knowledge and skills needed to care for residents of facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

(3) During the COVID-19 pandemic, Federal and State regulatory and statutory provisions have been waived to assist in the hiring of nurse aides.

(4) Individuals have served admirably and compassionately in this capacity and have demonstrated through accelerated training and experience adequate competency to transition to fully registered status as a nurse aide.

(5) As a matter of public policy, the training effort must give specific emphasis to identifying abusive situations, understanding what abuse is and learning methods and techniques to further prevent resident abuse from actually occurring.

(6) As a matter of public policy, the State-approved training program should take into account training and experience acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic to transition these individuals to placement on the State's nurse aide registry.