[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 426 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 426

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
  of particular specialists determined by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to be directly related to the health needs stemming from 
  environmental health hazards that have led to its declaration as a 
   Public Health Emergency to be eligible under the National Health 
   Service Corps in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment 
                    Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 28, 2013

Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Baucus) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
  of particular specialists determined by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to be directly related to the health needs stemming from 
  environmental health hazards that have led to its declaration as a 
   Public Health Emergency to be eligible under the National Health 
   Service Corps in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment 
                    Program, 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 ``Health Emergencies Lack Provider 
Specialists Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings
            (1) In communities facing environmental health hazards that 
        have been declared a public health emergency (pursuant to 
        section 104(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
        Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980), it is increasingly 
        difficult for the health care facilities in those areas to 
        recruit the specialists necessary to treat the particular 
        health needs of the residents. As a result, these communities 
        and their populations are medically underserved.
            (2) Since 1970, the National Health Service Corps has 
        helped communities recruit health care professionals who are 
        committed to serving the needs of underserved populations.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF SPECIALISTS IN 
              LOAN REPAYMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.

    (a) Mission of Corps; Definition of Primary Health Services.--
Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254d(a)(3)(D)) is amended by striking ``or mental health,'' and 
inserting ``mental health, or specialists needed to serve in medically 
underserved areas or populations that have needs for particular 
specialists related to a public health emergency declaration (pursuant 
to section 104(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980) based upon environmental 
health hazard-related health concerns,''.
    (b) Loan Repayment Program.--Section 338B of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and physician 
        assistants;'' and inserting ``physician assistants, and 
        specialists related to the health needs of environmental 
        exposure affected individuals stemming from its declaration as 
        a public health emergency (pursuant to section 104(a) of the 
        Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
        Liability Act of 1980);'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the 
                semicolon the following: ``, or have been determined by 
                the Secretary to be a specialist necessary to treat the 
                particular health needs of environmental exposure 
                affected individuals in an area that has been declared 
                a public health emergency (pursuant to section 104(a) 
                of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
                Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980)'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``specialists 
                related to the health needs of environmental exposure 
                affected individuals stemming from its declaration as a 
                public health emergency (pursuant to section 104(a) of 
                the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
                and Liability Act of 1980),'' after ``mental health,''; 
                and
                    (C) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by inserting 
                ``specialists related to the health needs of 
                environmental exposure affected individuals stemming 
                from its declaration as a public health emergency 
                (pursuant to section 104(a) of the Comprehensive 
                Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
                of 1980),'' after ``dentistry,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Definition.--In this section, the term `environmental 
exposure affected individual' means any individual who--
            ``(1) is diagnosed with a medical condition caused by the 
        exposure of the individual to a public health hazard to which 
        an emergency declaration applies, based on such medical 
        conditions, diagnostic standards, and other criteria as the 
        Secretary specifies;
            ``(2) as demonstrated in such manner as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate, has been present for an aggregate total 
        of 6 months in the geographic area subject to the emergency 
        declaration involved, during a period determined appropriate by 
        the Secretary; and
            ``(3) is determined under this section to meet the criteria 
        described in this subsection.''.
    (c) Scholarship Program.--Section 338A of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 254l) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and physician 
        assistants;'' and inserting ``physician assistants, and 
        specialists related to the health needs of environmental 
        exposure affected individuals stemming from its declaration as 
        a public health emergency (pursuant to section 104(a) of the 
        Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
        Liability Act of 1980);'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting before the semicolon 
        the following: ``, or have been determined by the Secretary to 
        be a specialist necessary to treat the particular health needs 
        of environmental exposure affected individuals in an area that 
        has been declared a public health emergency (pursuant to 
        section 104(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
        Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980)''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) In this section, the term `environmental exposure affected 
individual' means any individual who--
            ``(1) is diagnosed with a medical condition caused by the 
        exposure of the individual to a public health hazard to which 
        an emergency declaration applies, based on such medical 
        conditions, diagnostic standards, and other criteria as the 
        Secretary specifies;
            ``(2) as demonstrated in such manner as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate, has been present for an aggregate total 
        of 6 months in the geographic area subject to the emergency 
        declaration involved, during a period determined appropriate by 
        the Secretary; and
            ``(3) is determined under this section to meet the criteria 
        described in this subsection.''.
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