[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4134 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4134

 To provide for an increase in the availability of language-assistance 
services for patients of health centers under section 330 of the Public 
        Health Service Act, including community health centers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2002

 Mr. Crowley (for himself, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Hilliard, Mr. 
 Owens, Ms. Watson of California, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Bonior, Mr. Schiff, 
 Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Rush, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
Frost, Mrs. Christensen, and Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for an increase in the availability of language-assistance 
services for patients of health centers under section 330 of the Public 
        Health Service Act, including community health centers.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The uninsured population in the United States continues 
        to grow at over 100,000 individuals per month, and is estimated 
        to reach over 53,000,000 people by 2007.
            (2) A substantial subset of the uninsured population in the 
        United States are individuals for whom English is not their 
        first language and who have limited English-speaking ability.
            (3) The problem of health care access for uninsured 
        populations with limited English-speaking ability is compounded 
        in many urban and rural communities by a lack of translation 
        and interpretative services that better enable individuals to 
        communicate with providers in order to fully access health care 
        services in a culturally competent manner.
            (4) Community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health 
        centers under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act have 
        proven uniquely qualified to address the lack of adequate 
        health care services for uninsured populations, serving over 
        4,500,000 uninsured patients in 1999, including over 1,000,000 
        new uninsured patients who have sought care from such centers 
        in the last three years.
            (5) The provision of enabling services to health center 
        patients, including translation and interpretation services, 
        are an integral element of the program for health centers under 
        section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.
            (6) 80 percent of health centers provided translation and 
        interpretation services on-site to their patients in the year 
        2000.
            (7) 2,600,000 health center patients received translation 
        services in 2000, which accounted for approximately 10,500,000 
        health center visits in that year.
            (8) Access to health care for individuals with limited 
        English-speaking ability has been greatly improved when 
        translation and interpretation services are provided to health 
        center patients and providers and when patient information 
        (enrollment forms, educational materials) are available in the 
        languages spoken by the patient population.

SEC. 2. INCREASING AVAILABILITY OF LANGUAGE-ASSISTANCE SERVICES FOR 
              PATIENTS OF HEALTH CENTERS UNDER PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
              ACT.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out the program for health centers 
under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, including community 
health centers, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure 
that amounts appropriated under subsection (b) of this section are 
expended to provide translation and interpretation services for 
patients of the health center who have limited English-speaking 
ability, including hiring professional translation and interpretation 
services and compensating staff of the health centers who provide 
language-assistance services for such patients. The Secretary shall 
ensure that such amounts are expended to increase and not supplant 
amounts expended by the health centers pursuant to section 330(j)(3)(K) 
of such Act (relating to patients of limited English-speaking ability).
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 
for fiscal year 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 2004 through 2007. Such authorization is in addition to 
other authorizations of appropriations that are available for such 
purpose.
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