II 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3133 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 17, 2010 Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Specter) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To provide for the construction, renovation, and improvement of medical school facilities, and other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Medical School Construction Grant Act.

2.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)Construction employment declined by 53,000 in December 2009, and has fallen by 1,600,000 since the economic downturn began, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2)By 2020, the United States will face a shortage of about 85,000 physicians, due in part to the aging population, according to the Council on Graduate Medical Education. (3)The American Academy of Family Physicians recommended in 2006 that, to meet the need of primary care physicians in 2020, the United States would need to train 3,725 family physicians and 714 osteopathic physicians annually, with an overall goal of a 39 percent increase in family physicians. (4)The Association of American Medical Colleges has called for increased enrollment at Liaison Committee on Medical Education accredited schools from 15 to 30 percent over the 2002 levels by 2015. This increase would boost the number of graduates to about 20,000. (5)The Federal Government has not supported significant construction of medical schools since the 1960s and 1970s.

3.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Medical school

The term medical school means any 4-year allopathic or osteopathic medical school. (2)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

4.

Grants

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall establish a program to award grants to eligible medical schools for the purpose of constructing, renovating, or improving medical school facilities to increase the supply of physicians. (b)

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a medical school shall— (1)be accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges; (2)submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require; and (3)provide assurances that the medical school will ensure accountability and transparency in expending grant funds. (c)

Use of funds

An entity shall use amounts received under a grant under subsection (a) to construct new medical school facilities or renovate or improve existing medical school facilities to increase the supply of physicians. (d)

Allocation

The Secretary shall allocate amounts appropriated to carry out this section among medical schools based on the following: (1)First priority in awarding grants shall be given to new medical schools that are accredited to admit students beginning with academic years 2009 through 2014. (2)Priority in awarding grants shall be given to medical schools that seek to establish a new branch of an existing school. (3)Priority in awarding grants shall be given to medical schools that serve one or more medically underserved populations designated under section 330(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)).

5.

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $500,000,000 for fiscal years 2010 through 2014.