WASHINGTON, D.C. – Honoring National Nurses Day, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today introduced the bipartisan National Nurse Act of 2015, legislation that would elevate the role of nurses in America’s public health by designating a National Nurse for Public Health. HR 379 was introduced in the House of Representatives in January, 2015 by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rep. Pete King (R-NY). Now there is a companion bill in the Senate. Rep. Johnson is one of several nurses serving in the Congress. Sen. Merkey’s wife is a nurse. “As the husband of a nurse, I know firsthand the hard work that nurses put…