[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 898 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 898

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
 of optometrists in the National Health Service Corps scholarship and 
            loan repayment programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 13, 2015

  Mr. Kirk (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Cassidy) 
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 optometrists in the National Health Service Corps scholarship and 
            loan repayment programs, 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 ``National Health Service Corps 
Improvement Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION OF OPTOMETRISTS IN NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS.

            (1) Primary health care services.--Section 331 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(3)(D), by striking ``or 
                mental health,'' and inserting ``optometry, or mental 
                health,''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``and 
                physician assistants'' and inserting ``optometrists, 
                and physician assistants''.
            (2) Scholarship program.--Section 338A of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and 
                physician assistants'' and inserting ``optometrists, 
                and physician assistants''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``or other 
                health profession'' and inserting ``optometry, or other 
                health profession''.
            (3) Loan repayment program.--
                    (A) Participation.--Section 338B of the Public 
                Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--
                            (i) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and 
                        physician assistants'' and inserting 
                        ``optometrists, and physician assistants'';
                            (ii) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by striking 
                        ``or another health profession'' and inserting 
                        ``optometry, or another health profession''; 
                        and
                            (iii) in subsections (b)(1)(B) and 
                        (b)(1)(C)(ii), by striking the term ``or other 
                        health profession'' each place such term 
                        appears and inserting ``optometry, or other 
                        health profession''.
                    (B) Period of obligated service.--Clauses (ii) and 
                (iii) of section 338C(b)(5)(C) of the Public Health 
                Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254m(b)(5)(C)) are amended by 
                striking the term ``or other health profession'' each 
                place such term appears and inserting ``optometry, or 
                other health profession''.
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