[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 780 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 780

  To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to include each 
    year of fellowship training in geriatric medicine or geriatric 
  psychiatry as a year of obligated service under the National Health 
                     Corps Loan Repayment Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 1997

  Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Grassley, and Mr. Glenn) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                       Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to include each 
    year of fellowship training in geriatric medicine or geriatric 
  psychiatry as a year of obligated service under the National Health 
                     Corps Loan Repayment Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Geriatricians Loan Forgiveness Act 
of 1997''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 338B(g) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254l-1(g)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Obligated service.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of this section, 
                each year of training in geriatric medicine or 
                geriatric psychiatry that is required in order to 
                obtain a certificate of added qualification in 
                geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry shall be 
                deemed to be a year of obligated service.
                    ``(B) Limitations.--
                            ``(i) Payments.--Notwithstanding the first 
                        sentence of paragraph (2)(A), for the year of 
                        obligated service described in subparagraph 
                        (A), the Secretary may pay up to $20,000 on 
                        behalf of the individual for loans described in 
                        paragraph (1).
                            ``(ii) Individuals.--The number of 
                        fellowship years in geriatric medicine or 
                        geriatric psychiatry that are deemed to be a 
                        year of obligated service under this section 
                        shall not exceed 400 in any calendar year.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
        apply to applications submitted to the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services under section 338B of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) on or after 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
            (2) First year of program.--For the period beginning on the 
        date of enactment of this Act and ending on December 31 of the 
        calendar year in which such enactment occurs, the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services shall ratably reduce the maximum 
        number of fellowship years in geriatric medicine or geriatric 
        psychiatry that may be deemed to be a year of obligated service 
        under section 338B(g)(5)(B)(ii) of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1(g)(5)(B)(ii)) (as added by subsection 
        (a)) to reflect the portion of the year that the amendments 
        made by subsection (a) are in effect.
                                 <all>