[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5243 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5243

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
dental education loan repayment program to encourage dentists to serve 
at facilities with a critical shortage of dentists in areas with a high 
                         incidence of HIV/AIDS.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 27, 2006

  Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
dental education loan repayment program to encourage dentists to serve 
at facilities with a critical shortage of dentists in areas with a high 
                         incidence of HIV/AIDS.

    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 ``Dedicated Dental Service for HIV/
AIDS Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. DENTAL EDUCATION LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
enter into an agreement with any dentist under which--
            (1) the dentist agrees to serve as a dentist for a period 
        of not less than two years at a facility with a critical 
        shortage of dentists (as determined by the Secretary) in an 
        area with a high incidence of HIV/AIDS; and
            (2) the Secretary agrees to make payments in accordance 
        with subsection (b) on the dental education loans of the 
        dentist.
    (b) Manner of Payments.--The payments described in subsection (a) 
shall be made by the Secretary as follows:
            (1) Upon completion by the dentist for whom the payments 
        are to be made of the first year of the service specified in 
        the agreement entered into with the Secretary under subsection 
        (a), the Secretary shall pay 30 percent of the principal of and 
        the interest on the dental education loans of the dentist.
            (2) Upon completion by the dentist of the second year of 
        such service, the Secretary shall pay another 30 percent of the 
        principal of and the interest on such loans.
            (3) Upon completion by that individual of a third year of 
        such service, the Secretary shall pay another 25 percent of the 
        principal of and the interest on such loans.
    (c) Applicability of Certain Provisions.--The provisions of subpart 
III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254l et seq.) shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to 
the program carried out under this section in the same manner and to 
the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service 
Corps Loan Repayment Program.
    (d) Reports.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, 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 the 
following:
            (1) The number of dentists enrolled in the program.
            (2) The number and amount of loan repayments.
            (3) The placement location of loan repayment recipients at 
        facilities described in subsection (a)(1).
            (4) The default rate and actions required.
            (5) The amount of outstanding default funds.
            (6) To the extent that it can be determined, the reason for 
        the default.
            (7) The demographics of individuals participating in the 
        program.
            (8) An evaluation of the overall costs and benefits of the 
        program.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``dental education loan''--
                    (A) means a loan that is incurred for the cost of 
                attendance (including tuition, other reasonable 
                educational expenses, and reasonable living costs) at a 
                school of dentistry; and
                    (B) includes only the portion of the loan that is 
                outstanding on the date the dentist involved begins the 
                service specified in the agreement under subsection 
                (a).
            (2) The term ``dentist'' means a graduate of a school of 
        dentistry who has completed postgraduate training in general or 
        pediatric dentistry.
            (3) The term ``HIV/AIDS'' means human immunodeficiency 
        virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
            (4) The term ``school of dentistry'' has the meaning given 
        to that term in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 295p).
            (5) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.
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