[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 73 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5209-S5210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CRAIG (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Burns, Mr. Crapo, Mr. 
        Murkowski, and Ms. Cantwell):
  S. 2597. A bill to authorize a 3-year demonstration program to 
recruit and train physicians to serve in a rural setting; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Rural Health 
Training Incentive Act. I am pleased that Senators Patty Murray, Conrad 
Burns, Mike Crapo and Frank Murkowski are joining with me in this 
effort today.
  We are all aware there is a nationwide shortage of health 
practitioners in rural America and that this shortage is affecting the 
availability of health care in those communities. This trend is 
aggravated by the upcoming retirement of 77 million baby-boomers and 
the overall aging of the rural populations. Unfortunately, there is no 
quick fix for the problem, and the solution will require a long-term 
investment in human resources. The bill that I am introducing today 
would begin work on this long-term investment through the regional 
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, WWAMI, program.
  The WWAMI program has an excellent track record in its 30 year 
history of designing programs that work. It has a regionally focused 
medical school with a mission to train physicians for the communities 
in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. With 27 percent of 
the land mass of the Nation and only 3.3 percent of its population it 
is truly a ready made laboratory for exploring the best ways to recruit 
and train rural health care professionals.
  This legislation seeks to expand upon the existing WWAMI programs for 
the recruitment and training of all health care professionals in the 
five state rural settings and to develop and evaluate similar programs 
that could be used in other regions of the country. This legislation 
would be a step in preparing our young people to go into the medical 
professions and, importantly, would encourage them to practice in rural 
communities.
  I am pleased to be able to introduce this legislation as part of an 
overall strategy to stabilize health care in rural communities. This 
session, I have introduced legislation that would provide rural health 
care facilities with much needed capital to build new or repair 
existing infrastructure and to purchase medical equipment to help them 
keep pace with changing technologies. I am also pleased to have worked 
with my colleague Senator Harkin on two

[[Page S5210]]

separate pieces of legislation that would provide Medicare equity to 
both providers and seniors in rural States. The bill that I am 
introducing today adds an integral element of this strategy by making 
sure that health professionals are available to serve in rural areas.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2597

       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 ``Rural Health Training 
     Incentive Act''.

     SEC. 2. WWAMI DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

       (a) Grant Authorized.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
     (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') is 
     authorized to award a grant to the Washington, Wyoming, 
     Alaska, Montana, and Idaho joint medical school (in this 
     section referred to as ``WWAMI'') to strengthen and expand 
     programs to encourage more health professionals to practice 
     in rural areas.
       (2) Duration.--The Secretary shall award the grant in 
     paragraph (1) for a period of 3 years.
       (b) Use of Funds.--The grant awarded pursuant to subsection 
     (a) may be used for activities including--
       (1) developing new mechanisms for recruiting and mentoring 
     rural youth with respect to all health professions;
       (2) strengthening and stabilizing the system of training 
     for the family physicians needed in rural areas; and
       (3) expanding the network of rural training tracks 
     throughout WWAMI.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the end of the 
     grant period described in subsection (a)(2), WWAMI shall 
     submit to the Secretary a report evaluating the results of 
     programs funded with the grant authorized under subsection 
     (a)(1) and any recommendations regarding the effectiveness of 
     such programs.

     SEC. 3. PROJECT EXPANSION.

       (a) In General.--After submission of the report required in 
     section 2(c), the Secretary is authorized to award grants to 
     eligible entities to expand the programs under section 2, and 
     to implement the recommendations made in such report, in 
     other geographic areas.
       (b) Eligible Entity Defined.--As used in this section, the 
     term ``eligible entity'' means a partnership between a 
     regional university or college and the medical school 
     associated with such university or college where such medical 
     school has a rural area training track of at least 2 months.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act, except section 2(c) and section 3, 
     $3,400,000 for fiscal year 2003, $4,100,000 for fiscal year 
     2004, and $4,800,000 for fiscal year 2005.
       (b) Evaluation.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out the report described in section 2(c), $500,000 for 
     fiscal year 2005.
       (c) Project Expansion.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated to carry out section 3, such sums as may be 
     necessary beginning in fiscal year 2006.
                                 ______