[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2126 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2126

  To recognize the importance of the Veterans' Administration Medical 
     School Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act of 1972 in 
addressing shortfalls in the number of physicians and other health care 
 professionals employed in the health care system of the Department of 
   Veterans Affairs, to reauthorize the program of grants to medical 
    schools affiliated with the Department, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2003

  Mr. Edwards (for himself, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Rahall, and Mr. Hobson) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To recognize the importance of the Veterans' Administration Medical 
     School Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act of 1972 in 
addressing shortfalls in the number of physicians and other health care 
 professionals employed in the health care system of the Department of 
   Veterans Affairs, to reauthorize the program of grants to medical 
    schools affiliated with the Department, and for other purposes.

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

SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Teague Grant Reauthorization Act''.

SECTION 2. SUCCESS OF VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL SCHOOL 
              ASSISTANCE AND HEALTH MANPOWER TRAINING ACT OF 1972 IN 
              ALLEVIATING SHORTAGES OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) A severe shortage in the number of physicians and other 
        health care professionals in the United States is predicted for 
        the next two decades, as a result of a substantial growth in 
        demand for medical services compared with the number of medical 
        school graduates, foreign doctors in the United States, and 
        other health care professionals available to meet that demand.
            (2) Recent studies based on current trends predict a 
        national shortage of up to 50,000 physicians by 2010 and up to 
        200,000 physicians by 2020.
            (3) The passage and funding of the Veterans' Administration 
        Medical School Assistance and Health Manpower Training Act of 
        1972 (Public Law 92-541), which added chapter 82 to title 38, 
        United States Code, helped to prevent a predicted shortage of 
        physicians and other health care professionals in the 1970s and 
        1980s, and resulted in the establishment of five new medical 
        schools in the United States, at East Tennessee State 
        University, the University of South Carolina, Texas A&M 
        University, Wright State University, and Marshall University, 
        each operated in conjunction with health care facilities of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (4) Over the past three decades, the partnerships between 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs and those five medical 
        schools not only helped prevent such a physician shortage, but 
        also fostered significant gains in the quality of physician 
        education, medical research, and health care delivery.
            (5) Physicians and other health care professionals educated 
        in those medical schools have benefited from the rich and 
        diverse educational experiences available in veterans' health 
        care facilities.
            (6) Veterans and their families have benefited from medical 
        care that is enhanced by faculty physicians, residency 
        training, and comprehensive medical education that is available 
        in veterans health care facilities affiliated with those 
        medical schools.
    (b) Recognition.--Congress hereby recognizes--
            (1) the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Veterans' 
        Administration Medical School Assistance and Health Manpower 
        Training Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-541);
            (2) the critical and historic role played by that Act 
        towards alleviating the shortfall in the number of physicians 
        and other health care professionals; and
            (3) the importance of continued growth in the partnerships 
        between the Department of Veterans Affairs and medical schools 
        affiliated with the Department.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF PURPOSE AND DESIGNATION OF GRANTS.

    Section 8221 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and to cooperate'' and all that follows 
        through ``such subchapter'' and inserting ``to address 
        shortfalls in the number of physicians and other health care 
        professionals employed in the Veterans Health Administration''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
        ``Grants under this subchapter shall be known as `Teague 
        Grants' in honor of the most-decorated veteran ever to have 
        served in Congress, the Honorable Olin E. `Tiger' Teague of 
        Texas.''.

SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM OF GRANTS TO AFFILIATED MEDICAL 
              SCHOOLS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 8222 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following 
        new subsection:
    ``(a) There is authorized to be appropriated for carrying out 
programs authorized under this subchapter $10,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2005 through 2009.''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c).
    (b) Criteria for Grants.--Subsection (b) of section 8223 of such 
title is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting before the semicolon the 
        following: ``and will increase the number of medical or nursing 
        students attending the school'';
            (2) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (3);
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(4) the application sets forth demonstrated benefits to 
        the Department and to the care of veterans; and''.
    (c) Priority of Grant Awards.--Such section is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) The Secretary shall give priority in the award of grants 
under this section to the medical schools established pursuant to 
subchapter I.''.
                                 <all>