[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1480 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1480

To provide for the construction, renovation, and improvement of medical 
               school facilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2011

Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Schumer) 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 for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In June 2011, construction employment declined by 
        68,470, and has fallen by 2,200,000 since the economic downturn 
        began, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
            (2) By 2020, the Nation 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 (LCME) accredited medical 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.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF MEDICAL SCHOOL.

    The term ``medical school'' means any accredited 4-year allopathic 
or osteopathic medical school.

SEC. 3. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
establish a program of grants to medical schools for the purposes of 
constructing, renovating, or improving medical school facilities and 
increasing the supply of physicians.
    (b) Use of Grants.--Amounts provided for grants under this section 
may be used to construct new facilities or renovate and improve 
existing facilities for the purpose described in subsection (a).
    (c) Allocation.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
allocate funds appropriated under this Act among medical schools based 
on the following criteria:
            (1) First priority shall be given to new medical schools 
        accredited to admit students from fiscal years 2009 through 
        2014.
            (2) Priority shall be given to medical schools looking to 
        create a new branch of an existing school.
            (3) Priority shall be given to medical schools that serve 
        areas designated by the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration as Medically Underserved Areas.
            (4) Funds shall only be allocated to medical schools that 
        provide accountability and transparency in expending such 
        funds.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016.
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