[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3989 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3989
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide community-based
training opportunities for medical students in rural areas and
medically underserved communities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 4, 2026
Mr. Curtis (for himself and Mr. King) 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 community-based
training opportunities for medical students in rural areas and
medically underserved communities, 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 ``Community Training, Education, and
Access for Medical Students Act of 2026'' or the ``Community TEAMS Act
of 2026''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED TRAINING FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS IN
RURAL AREAS AND MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
(a) In General.--Section 330A of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 254c) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (h), (i), and (j) as
subsections (i), (j), and (k), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
``(h) Grants for Community-Based Training for Medical Students in
Rural Areas and Medically Underserved Communities.--
``(1) Grants.--The Director may award grants to eligible
entities to expand the availability of community-based training
for medical students in rural areas and medically underserved
communities, including by supporting clinical rotations in
health care facilities in such areas and communities, including
in outpatient settings, to facilitate long-term, sustainable
physician practice in high-need communities.
``(2) Period of grants.--A grant under this subsection
shall be for a period of 1 to 5 years, as determined by the
Director.
``(3) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under this
subsection, an entity shall be a consortium of the following:
``(A) One or more schools of osteopathic medicine
or allopathic medicine.
``(B) One or more of the following:
``(i) A rural health clinic.
``(ii) A Federally qualified health center.
``(iii) A health care facility located in a
medically underserved community.
``(4) Applications.--An eligible entity desiring a grant
under this subsection shall, in consultation with the
appropriate State office of rural health or another appropriate
State entity, submit to the Director an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Director may require, including--
``(A) a description of the project that the
eligible entity will carry out using the funds provided
through the grant;
``(B) an explanation of the reasons why Federal
assistance is required to carry out the project;
``(C) a description of the manner in which the
project funded through the grant will ensure continuous
quality improvement in the provision of services by the
entity;
``(D) a description of how the populations in the
rural area or medically underserved community to be
served through the grant will experience increased
access to quality health care services across the
continuum of care as a result of the activities carried
out by the entity;
``(E) a plan for sustaining the project after
Federal support for the project has ended;
``(F) a description of how the project will be
evaluated; and
``(G) such other information as the Director
determines to be appropriate.''.
(b) Conforming Changes.--Section 330A of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 254c) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``and for the planning
and implementation of small health care provider quality
improvement activities'' and inserting ``for the planning and
implementation of small health care provider quality
improvement activities, and for expanding the availability of
community-based training for medical students in rural areas
and medically underserved communities'';
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ``In this section:''
after ``Definitions--'';
(3) in subsection (d)(2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subsections
(e), (f), and (g)'' and inserting ``subsections (e),
(f), (g), and (h)''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'' at
the end;
(ii) in clause (iii), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) expand the availability of
community-based training for medical students
in rural areas and medically underserved
communities under subsection (h).'';
(4) in subsection (j), as so redesignated, by striking
``subsections (e), (f), and (g)'' and inserting ``subsections
(e), (f), (g), and (h)''; and
(5) in subsection (k), as so redesignated, by striking
``2021 through 2025'' and inserting ``2026 through 2030''.
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