[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4147 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4147

  To provide for the establishment of an education program to expand 
                   abortion care training and access.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 2023

   Mr. Bera (for himself, Ms. Schrier, Mrs. Fletcher, and Mr. Pocan) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for the establishment of an education program to expand 
                   abortion care training and access.

    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 ``Reproductive Health Care Training 
Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO EXPAND ABORTION CARE TRAINING AND ACCESS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
shall establish a program to award grants or contracts to eligible 
entities to carry out the activities described in subsection (d) for 
the purposes of--
            (1) expanding and supporting education for students, 
        residents, or advanced practice clinicians in a covered State 
        that permits comprehensive training in abortion care; and
            (2) preparing and encouraging each such student, resident, 
        and advanced practice clinician training in a covered State to 
        serve as an abortion provider after completing such training.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive an award under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require, including--
            (1) a certification that such eligible entity will use 
        amounts provided to the entity to carry out the activities 
        described in subsection (e); and
            (2) a description of how such eligible entity will carry 
        out such activities.
    (c) Eligible Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term 
``eligible entity'' includes accredited health professions schools, 
academic health centers or other appropriate public or private 
nonprofit health care safety net providers, including sexual and 
reproductive health providers, as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Priority.--In making awards under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) are located in a covered State in which clinical 
        training for heath care students, residents, and advanced 
        practice clinicians in abortion care is permitted and/or 
        comprehensively taught;
            (2) support clinical training in abortion care for health 
        care students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians from 
        States where such training is otherwise limited; or
            (3) are minority serving institutions or institutions that 
        provide training to increase underrepresented minority health 
        professions.
    (e) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity shall use funds made 
available under an award under this section to carry out the following 
activities:
            (1) Support or expand clinical training for health care 
        students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians in 
        abortion care.
            (2) Develop and operate programs to train health care 
        students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians in 
        abortion care by--
                    (A) defining a set of clinical training activities 
                related to abortion care, including those that include 
                care for racial and ethnic minority groups, people with 
                disabilities, Tribal, and medically underserved 
                communities;
                    (B) identifying and addressing challenges to 
                accessing abortion care, including the needs of racial 
                and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, 
                Tribal, and medically underserved communities;
                    (C) supporting the use of telehealth technologies 
                and practices related to abortion care;
                    (D) integrating abortion training into health care 
                education; and
                    (E) promoting interprofessional training that 
                includes non-obstetrician-gynecologist abortion 
                providers.
            (3) Develop or expand strategic partnerships with community 
        health organizations or other eligible entities to enhance 
        access to abortion care and improve health outcomes.
            (4) Develop, implement, and evaluate methods to improve 
        recruitment and retention of health care students and advanced 
        practice clinicians from medically underserved communities to 
        increase access to abortion care.
            (5) Train and support instructors to serve medically 
        underserved communities.
            (6) Prepare health care students, residents, or advanced 
        practice clinicians for transition into clinical practice that 
        includes abortion care, with a focus on medically underserved 
        communities.
            (7) Provide scholarships or stipends to health care 
        students, residents, or advanced practice clinicians that are 
        pursing training in abortion care, with a focus on medically 
        underserved communities.
    (f) Supplement Not Supplant.--Federal funds appropriated to carry 
out this section shall supplement not supplant funds otherwise made 
available to carry out title VII and title VIII of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq. and 296 et seq.).
    (g) Reporting.--
            (1) Reports from entities.--Each entity that receives an 
        award under this section shall submit an annual report to the 
        Secretary on the financial and programmatic performance under 
        such award, which may include factors such as the number of 
        trainees, the number of professions and disciplines, the number 
        of partnerships with health care delivery sites, the number of 
        faculty and practicing health care professionals who 
        participated in continuing education programs, and other 
        factors, as the Secretary may require, in a manner that does 
        not allow for identification of patients, individual providers, 
        or other participants.
            (2) Reports to congress.--At the end of each year in which 
        the Secretary makes awards under this section, the Secretary 
        shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
        Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
        of the House of Representatives a report that provides a 
        summary of the financial and programmatic performance of such 
        awards, which may include factors such as the number trainees, 
        the number of professions and disciplines, the number of 
        partnerships with health care delivery sites, the number of 
        faculty and practicing health care professionals who 
        participated in continuing education programs, and other 
        factors that assess the impact of the program on the expansion 
        of access to abortion services, in a manner that does not 
        disclose any identifiable information of patients, individual 
        providers, or other participants.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered state.--The term ``covered State'' means a 
        State, Puerto Rico, and a territory or possession of the United 
        States in which comprehensive training for abortion care is 
        permissible.
            (2) Medically underserved community.--The term ``medically 
        underserved community'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028.
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