[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4016 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4016

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the education and 
   training of allied health professionals in exchange for a service 
                  commitment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2004

 Mr. Stearns (for himself and Mr. Strickland) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the education and 
   training of allied health professionals in exchange for a service 
                  commitment, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Allied Health Professions 
Reinvestment Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The Bureau of the Census, the Institute of Medicine, 
        the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and State hospital associations 
        highlight the increased demand for acute and chronic health 
        care services among both the general population and a rapidly 
        growing aging portion of the population.
            (2) The calls for reduction in medical errors, increased 
        patient safety, and increased quality of care have resulted in 
        an amplified call for allied health professionals to provide 
        health care services.
            (3) Several allied health professions are characterized by 
        workforce shortages, declining enrollments in allied health 
        education programs, or a combination of both factors, and 
        hospital officials have reported vacancy rates in positions 
        occupied by allied health professionals.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (11) as 
        paragraphs (6) through (12), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) Allied health profession.--The term `allied health 
        profession' means any profession practiced by an individual in 
        his or her capacity as an allied health professional.''.

SEC. 4. ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS.

    (a) Amendment.--Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 292 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating part F as part G; and
            (2) by adding after part E the following:

                        ``PART F--ALLIED HEALTH

``SEC. 780. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall develop and issue public 
service announcements that advertise and promote the allied health 
professions, highlight the advantages and rewards of allied health 
professions, and encourage individuals to enter the allied health 
professions.
    ``(b) Method.--The public service announcements described in 
subsection (a) shall be broadcast through appropriate media outlets, 
including television or radio, and other methods approved by the 
Secretary in a manner intended to reach as wide and diverse an audience 
as possible.

``SEC. 780A. STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award grants to eligible 
entities to support State and local advertising campaigns through 
appropriate media outlets to promote the allied health professions and 
highlight the advantages and rewards of the allied health professions.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
subsection (a) shall use funds received through such grant to acquire 
local television and radio time, place advertisements in local 
newspapers, or post information on billboards or on the Internet in a 
manner intended to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible, 
in order to--
            ``(1) advertise and promote the allied health professions;
            ``(2) promote allied health professions education programs;
            ``(3) inform the public of financial assistance regarding 
        such education programs;
            ``(4) highlight individuals in the community who are 
        practicing allied health professions in order to recruit new 
        allied health professionals; or
            ``(5) provide any other information to recruit individuals 
        for the allied health professions.
    ``(c) Limitation.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
subsection (a) shall not use funds received through such grant to 
advertise particular employment opportunities.
    ``(d) Eligible Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`eligible entity' means an entity that is--
            ``(1) a professional, national, or State allied health 
        association;
            ``(2) a State health care provider; or
            ``(3) an association of entities that are each a health 
        care facility, an allied health education program, or an entity 
        that provides similar services or serves a like function.

``SEC. 780B. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may carry out a program of 
entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which such 
individuals agree to serve as allied health professionals for the 
period described in subsection (e) at a health care facility with a 
critical shortage of allied health professionals, in consideration of 
the Federal Government agreeing to provide to the individuals 
scholarships for the cost of tuition at schools of allied health in 
allied health professions curricula.
    ``(b) Eligible Individuals.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`eligible individual' means an individual who is enrolled or accepted 
for enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in a school of 
allied health.
    ``(c) Selection.--In awarding scholarships under this section, the 
Secretary shall select a range of full-time and part-time students 
enrolled in a certificate, associate, bachelor's, or graduate program.
    ``(d) Amount.--The amount of a scholarship to an eligible 
individual under this section may not exceed $10,000 for any academic 
year.
    ``(e) Service Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not enter into a 
        contract with an eligible individual under this section unless 
        the individual agrees to serve as an allied health professional 
        at a health care facility with a critical shortage of allied 
        health professionals for a period of full-time service of not 
        less than 1 year for each academic year for which the 
        individual receives a scholarship under this section, or for a 
        period of part-time service in accordance with paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Part-time service.--An individual may complete the 
        period of service described in paragraph (1) on a part-time 
        basis if the individual has a written agreement that--
                    ``(A) is entered into by the facility and the 
                individual and is approved by the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) provides that the period of obligated service 
                will be extended so that the aggregate amount of 
                service performed will equal the amount of service that 
                would be performed through a period of full-time 
                service described in paragraph (1).
    ``(f) Applicability of Certain Provisions.--The provisions of 
subpart III of part D of title III shall, except as inconsistent with 
this section, apply to the program established in this section in the 
same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the 
National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established in such 
subpart.
    ``(g) Reports.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
prepare and submit to the Congress a report describing the program 
carried out under this section, including statements regarding--
            ``(1) the number of enrollees, scholarships, and grant 
        recipients;
            ``(2) the number of graduates;
            ``(3) the amount of scholarship payments made;
            ``(4) which educational institution the recipients 
        attended;
            ``(5) the number and placement location of the scholarship 
        recipients at health care facilities with a critical shortage 
        of allied health professionals;
            ``(6) the default rate and actions required;
            ``(7) the amount of outstanding default funds of the 
        scholarship program;
            ``(8) to the extent that it can be determined, the reason 
        for the default;
            ``(9) the demographics of the individuals participating in 
        the scholarship program; and
            ``(10) an evaluation of the overall costs and benefits of 
        the program.

``SEC. 780C. ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION, PRACTICE, AND 
              RETENTION GRANTS.

    ``(a) Education Priority Areas.--The Secretary may award grants to, 
and enter into contracts with, eligible entities for--
            ``(1) expanding the enrollment in allied health professions 
        programs;
            ``(2) developing and implementing internship and residency 
        programs to encourage mentoring and the development of 
        specialties and training for new or emerging public health 
        needs;
            ``(3) providing education in new technologies, including 
        distance learning methodologies; or
            ``(4) developing grant awards to colleges and universities 
        to promote development of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral 
        degree programs for allied health professions faculty.
    ``(b) Practice Priority Areas.--The Secretary may award grants to, 
and enter into contracts with, eligible entities for--
            ``(1) establishing or expanding allied health professions 
        practice arrangements in noninstitutional settings to 
        demonstrate methods to improve access to primary health care in 
        medically underserved communities;
            ``(2) providing care for underserved populations and other 
        high-risk groups and individuals with chronic conditions;
            ``(3) providing managed care, quality improvement, and 
        other skills needed to practice in existing and emerging 
        organized health care systems; or
            ``(4) developing cultural competencies among allied health 
        professionals.
    ``(c) Retention Priority Areas.--The Secretary may award grants to, 
and enter into contracts with, eligible entities to enhance the allied 
health professions workforce by initiating and maintaining allied 
health profession retention programs--
            ``(1) to promote career advancement for allied health 
        professions personnel in a variety of training settings, 
        including cross training or specialty training among diverse 
        population groups; or
            ``(2) to assist individuals in obtaining education and 
        training required to enter the allied health professions and 
        advance within such professions, such as by providing career 
        counseling and mentoring.
    ``(d) Other Priority Areas.--The Secretary may award grants to, and 
enter into contracts with, eligible entities--
            ``(1) to study and advance the measurement of health 
        outcomes relevant to the allied health professions; or
            ``(2) to address other issues that are of high priority to 
        allied health professional education, practice, and retention, 
        as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(e) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Congress before 
the end of each fiscal year a report on the grants awarded and the 
contracts entered into under this section. Each such report shall 
identify the overall number of such grants and contracts and provide an 
explanation of why each such grant or contract will meet the priority 
need of the workforce.
    ``(f) Eligible Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`eligible entity' includes a school of allied health, a health care 
facility, or a partnership of such a school and a facility.

``SEC. 780D. COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC EDUCATION.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary may award grants to 
eligible entities to develop and implement, in coordination with 
programs under section 753, programs and initiatives to train and 
educate allied health professionals in providing geriatric care for the 
elderly.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
subsection (a) shall use funds under such grant to--
            ``(1) provide training to allied health professionals who 
        will provide geriatric care for the elderly;
            ``(2) disseminate curricula relating to the treatment of 
        the health problems of elderly individuals;
            ``(3) train allied health professions faculty members in 
        geriatrics; or
            ``(4) provide continuing education to allied health 
        professionals who provide geriatric care.
    ``(c) Application.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under 
subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may reasonably require.
    ``(d) Eligible Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`eligible entity' includes a school of allied health, a health care 
facility, or a partnership of such a program and facility.

``SEC. 780E. ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may 
enter into an agreement with any institution of higher education for 
the establishment and operation of a student loan fund in accordance 
with this section, to increase the number of qualified allied health 
professions faculty.
    ``(b) Agreements.--Each agreement entered into under this section 
shall--
            ``(1) provide for the establishment of a student loan fund 
        by the institution of higher education involved;
            ``(2) provide for deposit in the fund of--
                    ``(A) the Federal capital contributions to the 
                fund;
                    ``(B) an amount equal to not less than one-ninth of 
                such Federal capital contributions, contributed by such 
                institution;
                    ``(C) collections of principal and interest on 
                loans made from the fund; and
                    ``(D) any other earnings of the fund;
            ``(3) provide that the fund will be used only for loans to 
        students of the institution in accordance with subsection (c) 
        and for costs of collection of such loans and interest thereon;
            ``(4) provide that loans may be made from such fund only to 
        students pursuing a full-time course of study or, at the 
        discretion of the Secretary, a part-time course of study in an 
        allied health profession; and
            ``(5) contain such other provisions as are necessary to 
        protect the financial interests of the United States.
    ``(c) Loan Provisions.--Loans from any student loan fund 
established by an institution of higher education pursuant to an 
agreement under this section shall be made to an individual on such 
terms and conditions as the institution may determine, except that--
            ``(1) such terms and conditions are subject to any 
        conditions, limitations, and requirements prescribed by the 
        Secretary;
            ``(2) in the case of any individual, the total of the loans 
        for any academic year made by institutions of higher education 
        from loan funds established pursuant to agreements under this 
        section may not exceed $30,000, plus any amount determined by 
        the Secretary on an annual basis to reflect inflation;
            ``(3) an amount up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus 
        interest thereon) shall be canceled by the institution as 
        follows:
                    ``(A) upon completion by the individual of each of 
                the first, second, and third year of full-time 
                employment, required by the loan agreement entered into 
                under this section, as a faculty member in a school of 
                allied health, the institution shall cancel 20 percent 
                of the principle of, and the interest on, the amount of 
                such loan unpaid on the first day of such employment; 
                and
                    ``(B) upon completion by the individual of the 
                fourth year of full-time employment, required by the 
                loan agreement entered into under this section, as a 
                faculty member in a school of allied health, the 
                institution shall cancel 25 percent of the principle 
                of, and the interest on, the amount of such loan unpaid 
                on the first day of such employment;
            ``(4) such a loan may be used to pay the cost of tuition, 
        fees, books, laboratory expenses, and other reasonable 
        education expenses;
            ``(5) such a loan shall be repayable in equal or graduated 
        periodic installments (with the right of the borrower to 
        accelerate repayment) over the 10-year period that begins 9 
        months after the individual ceases to pursue a course of study 
        at a school of allied health; and
            ``(6) such a loan shall--
                    ``(A) beginning on the date that is 3 months after 
                the individual ceases to pursue a course of study at a 
                school of allied health, bear interest on the unpaid 
                balance of the loan at the rate of 3 percent per annum; 
                or
                    ``(B) subject to subsection (e), if the institution 
                determines that the individual will not complete such 
                course of study or serve as a faculty member as 
                required under the loan agreement under this section, 
                bear interest on the unpaid balance of the loan at the 
                prevailing market rate.
    ``(d) Payment of Proportionate Share.--Where all or any part of a 
loan, or interest, is canceled under this section, the Secretary shall 
pay to the institution of higher education an amount equal to the 
school's proportionate share of the canceled portion, as determined by 
the Secretary.
    ``(e) Review by Secretary.--At the request of the individual 
involved, the Secretary may review any determination by an institution 
of higher education under subsection (c)(6)(B).
    ``(f) Publication.--The Secretary shall publish in the Federal 
Register the name of each institution of higher education participating 
in the allied health professions faculty loan program under this 
section.

``SEC. 780F. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Definition.--For purposes of this part:
            ``(1) The term `health care facility' has the meaning given 
        to that term under section 801 and includes any health care 
        facility of the Veterans Health Administration.
            ``(2) The term `institution of higher education' has the 
        meaning given to that term in section 101 of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965.
    ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this part, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $28,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2005 through 2009.''.

SEC. 5. COUNCIL ON HEALTH PROFESSION EDUCATION.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish in the Health 
Resources and Service Administration a council, to be known as the 
``Council on Health Profession Education''.
    (b) Duties.--The Council on Health Profession Education shall 
monitor the status of the allied health professions workforce and make 
annual reports to the Congress.

SEC. 6. REPORTS BY GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.

    (a) National Variations.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall--
            (1) conduct a survey to determine national variations in 
        the allied health professions at hospitals, nursing homes, home 
        health agencies, ambulatory rehabilitation services, and other 
        health care providers; and
            (2) submit a report to the Congress on the results of such 
        survey, including findings and recommendations on Federal 
        remedies to ease allied health profession shortages.
    (b) Allied Health Programs.--Not later than 4 years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall--
            (1) conduct an evaluation of whether the effectiveness of 
        programs authorized under this Act, including whether such 
        programs have demonstrably increased the number of applicants 
        to schools of allied health; and
            (2) submit a report to the Congress on the results of such 
        evaluation.

SEC. 7. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

    Subparagraph (A) of section 736(g)(1) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 293(g)(1)) is amended by inserting ``a school of allied 
health,'' after ``a school of pharmacy,''.
                                 <all>