[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5850-S5852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN:
  S. 1143. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish 
various programs for the recruitment and retention of public health 
workers and to eliminate critical public health workforce shortages in 
Federal, State, local, and tribal public health agencies and health 
centers; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the people who work in public health are 
responsible for some of the most important jobs that protect the lives 
and health of ordinary Americans. The scope of public health includes 
preventing the spread of communicable diseases and pandemics, managing 
the health system's response to biological and chemical attacks, 
fighting food-borne illnesses, assisting communities in preparing for 
disasters, and promoting best health practices.
  The recent outbreak of Influenza A H1N1 virus reminds us how much we 
depend on the people who work in public health. This virus has infected 
thousands of people and caused nearly a hundred deaths worldwide. The 
American people have looked to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and their State and local health departments to collect 
data, monitor the threat, provide accurate information, and prepare to 
respond if the situation worsens. But even when a pandemic or other 
widespread threat is not imminent, the public health workforce remains 
on the front lines in promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing 
chronic disease.
  Our ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from a pandemic or 
other health challenges depends largely on a strong pipeline of public 
health professionals. Unfortunately, a critical--and growing--shortage 
of public health workers is putting our nation at risk.
  The Association of Schools of Public Health recently reported that 
there were 50,000 fewer public health workers in 2000 than there were 
in 1980. In my home State of Illinois, the average Illinois Department 
of Public Health worker is 48 years old, and 39 percent of the staff 
will be eligible to retire within 5 years. Compounding this problem is 
the fact that 13 percent of agency positions are vacant, and when a new 
hire is found, the average age is 41. The ``graying'' workforce and 
weak pipeline of new public health graduates are problems across all 
levels of government. Nearly half of the federal employees in 
occupations critical to U.S. biodefense will be eligible to retire by 
2012.
  We cannot stay on the same trajectory in the future. We are not 
educating enough people in public health to replace retiring public 
health workers, and the salaries for those who do work in public health 
disciplines are not competitive with comparable employment in the 
private sector. The Association of State and Territorial Health 
Officials reports that in 2004, most of the approximately 6,400 
graduates from accredited schools of public health took jobs in the 
private sector.
  I am pleased to introduce the Public Health Workforce Development Act 
of 2009 today to help address this challenge. This legislation provides 
several common-sense solutions to develop a strong pipeline of public 
health professionals. This bill would provide scholarships to students 
going into public health and provide loan repayment for current public 
health workers in exchange for a commitment to additional years of 
service in public health.
  The legislation also encourages states to set up their own public 
health training programs and creates a scholarship program for mid-
career professionals to maintain or upgrade their training. Finally, it 
creates an online clearinghouse of public health jobs available in the 
Federal Government. Together, these programs will help attract young 
people to a career in public health and give current public health 
professionals incentives to remain in the field in the long-term
  Our health care system today focuses too much on treating sickness, 
at the expense of preserving wellness. As the process of health reform 
moves forward, two key concerns are improving health care quality, 
while holding health care costs down. To do this, we need to focus on 
wellness, preventive care, and effective management of chronic 
conditions, all of which are hallmarks of the public health system. 
This bill will help maintain a strong and effective public health 
system by alleviating the dangerous shortage of public health workers
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1143

       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 ``Public Health Workforce 
     Development Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The ability of the public health system to prevent, 
     respond to, and recover from bioterrorism, acute outbreaks of 
     infectious diseases, or other health threats and emergencies, 
     and to prevent and reduce chronic disease, depends upon the 
     existence of adequate numbers of well-trained public health 
     professionals in Federal, State, local, and tribal public 
     health departments and health centers.
       (2) The public health system has an aging staff nearing 
     retirement with no clear pipeline of highly-skilled and 
     capable employees to fill the void, with the average age of 
     the State public health workforce at 47 years.
       (3) Retirement rates in some State public health agencies 
     were as high as 20 percent as of June 2007, and projected to 
     be as high as 45 percent in 2009.
       (4) The ratio of public health workers to the population 
     has dropped from 219 per 100,000 in 1980 to 158 per 100,000 
     in 2000, while responsibilities of such workers have 
     continued to expand.
       (5) Public health nurses comprise the largest segment of 
     the public health workforce. A study by the Institute of 
     Medicine in 2003 identified nursing as facing one of the most 
     severe shortages of public health workers. The average age of 
     public health nurses is nearly 50 years, with the leaders of 
     State public health nursing averaging more than 30 years of 
     service. In one State nearly 40 percent of the public health 
     nursing workforce was eligible for retirement as of June 
     2007.
       (6) According to the Association of State and Territorial 
     Health Officials, most of the approximately 6,400 graduates 
     from accredited schools of public health took jobs in the 
     private sector in 2004. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 
     projects that there will be an increase in private sector 
     demand for highly-educated graduates in scientific fields 
     during the 10-year period ending in 2017. Public health 
     agencies will have difficulty competing for those highly-
     skilled scientists.
       (7) As of June 2007, approximately 42 percent of the 
     epidemiology workforce in State and territorial health 
     departments lacked formal academic training in epidemiology. 
     States have reported that approximately 47 percent more 
     epidemiologists are needed to adequately prevent and control 
     avian influenza and other emerging diseases.
       (8) The Partnership for Public Service reports that in the 
     field of microbiology, there are more than 4 times as many 
     full-time permanent employees over age 40 as under age 40 at 
     the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among full-
     time permanent employees with medical backgrounds at the 
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and 
     Drug Administration, there are 3 times as many employees over 
     40 years of age as under 40.
       (9) More than 50 percent of States cite the lack of 
     qualified individuals or individuals willing to relocate as 
     being a major barrier to preparedness. A study conducted by 
     the Health Resources and Services Association reported 
     difficulty with recruiting more educated, skilled public 
     health providers to work in traditionally medically 
     underserved areas, such as rural populations. Public health 
     agencies continue to face an unmet need for public health 
     workers who are bilingual and culturally competent.
       (10) Lack of access to advanced education, including 
     baccalaureate nursing and graduate studies, is a significant 
     barrier to upgrading the existing public health workforce, 
     particularly in rural areas.

     SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION 
                   PROGRAMS.

       Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

``Subpart 3--Public Health Workforce Recruitment and Retention Programs

     ``SEC. 780. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish the 
     Public Health Workforce Scholarship Program (referred to in 
     this section as the `Program') to assure an adequate supply 
     of public health professionals to eliminate critical public 
     health workforce shortages in Federal, State, local, and 
     tribal public health agencies and health centers.
       ``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to participate in the 
     Program, an individual shall--
       ``(1) be accepted for enrollment, or be enrolled, as a 
     full-time student--

[[Page S5851]]

       ``(A) in an accredited (as determined by the Secretary) 
     educational institution in a State or territory; and
       ``(B) in a course of study or program, offered by such 
     institution and approved by the Secretary, leading to a 
     health professions degree (graduate, undergraduate, or 
     associate) or certificate, which may include public health, 
     laboratory sciences, epidemiology, environmental health, 
     health communications, health education and behavioral 
     sciences, information sciences, or public administration;
       ``(2) be a United States citizen;
       ``(3) submit an application to the Secretary to participate 
     in the Program; and
       ``(4) sign and submit to the Secretary, at the time of the 
     submission of such application, a written contract (described 
     in subsection (d)) to serve, upon the completion of the 
     course of study or program involved, for the applicable 
     period of obligated service in the full-time employment of a 
     Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency or a 
     health center.
       ``(c) Dissemination of Information.--
       ``(1) Application and contract forms.--The Secretary shall 
     disseminate application forms and contract forms to 
     individuals desiring to participate in the Program. The 
     Secretary shall include with such forms--
       ``(A) a fair summary of the rights and liabilities of an 
     individual whose application is approved (and whose contract 
     is accepted) by the Secretary, including in the summary a 
     clear explanation of the damages to which the United States 
     is entitled in the case of the individual's breach of the 
     contract; and
       ``(B) information relating to the service obligation and 
     such other information as may be necessary for the individual 
     to understand the individual's prospective participation in 
     the Program.
       ``(2) Information for schools.--The Secretary shall 
     distribute to health professions schools and other 
     appropriate accredited academic institutions and relevant 
     Federal, State, local, and tribal public health agencies, 
     materials providing information on the Program and shall 
     encourage such schools, institutions, and agencies to 
     disseminate such materials to potentially eligible students.
       ``(3) Understandability and timing.--The application form, 
     contract form, and all other information furnished by the 
     Secretary under this section shall--
       ``(A) be written in a manner calculated to be understood by 
     the average individual applying to participate in the 
     Program; and
       ``(B) be made available by the Secretary on a date 
     sufficiently early to ensure that such individuals have 
     adequate time to carefully review and evaluate such forms and 
     information.
       ``(d) Contract.--The written contract between the Secretary 
     and an individual shall contain--
       ``(1) an agreement on the part of the Secretary that the 
     Secretary will provide the individual with a scholarship for 
     a period of years (not to exceed 4 academic years) during 
     which the individual shall pursue an approved course of study 
     or program to prepare the individual to serve in the public 
     health workforce;
       ``(2) an agreement on the part of the individual that the 
     individual will--
       ``(A) maintain full-time enrollment in the approved course 
     of study or program described in subsection (b)(1) until the 
     individual completes that course of study or program;
       ``(B) while enrolled in the course of study or program, 
     maintain an acceptable level of academic standing (as 
     determined under regulations of the Secretary by the 
     educational institution offering such course of study or 
     program); and
       ``(C) immediately upon graduation, serve in the full-time 
     employment of a Federal, State, local, or tribal public 
     health agency or a health center in a position related to the 
     course of study or program for which the contract was awarded 
     for a period of time (referred to in this section as the 
     `period of obligated service') equal to the greater of--
       ``(i) 1 year for each academic year for which the 
     individual was provided a scholarship under the Program; or
       ``(ii) 2 years;
       ``(3) an agreement by both parties as to the nature and 
     extent of the scholarship assistance, which may include--
       ``(A) payment of the tuition expenses of the individual;
       ``(B) payment of all other reasonable educational expenses 
     of the individual including fees, books, equipment, and 
     laboratory expenses; and
       ``(C) payment of a stipend of not more than $1,200 per 
     month for each month of the academic year involved (indexed 
     to account for increases in the Consumer Price Index);
       ``(4) a provision that any financial obligation of the 
     United States arising out of a contract entered into under 
     this subsection and any obligation of the individual which is 
     conditioned thereon, is contingent upon funds being 
     appropriated for scholarships under this section;
       ``(5) a statement of the damages to which the United States 
     is entitled for the individual's breach of the contract; and
       ``(6) such other statements of the rights and liabilities 
     of the Secretary and of the individual, not inconsistent with 
     the provisions of this section.
       ``(e) Postponing Obligated Service.--With respect to an 
     individual receiving a degree or certificate from a school of 
     medicine, public health, nursing, osteopathic medicine, 
     dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, 
     pharmacy, psychology, or social work under a scholarship 
     under the Program, the date of the initiation of the period 
     of obligated service may be postponed, upon the submission by 
     the individual of a petition for such postponement and 
     approval by the Secretary, to the date on which the 
     individual completes an approved internship, residency, or 
     other relevant public health advanced training program.
       ``(f) Administrative Provisions.--
       ``(1) Contracts with institutions.--The Secretary may 
     contract with an educational institution in which a 
     participant in the Program is enrolled, for the payment to 
     the educational institution of the amounts of tuition and 
     other reasonable educational expenses described in subsection 
     (d)(3).
       ``(2) Employment ceilings.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, individuals who have entered into written 
     contracts with the Secretary under this section, while 
     undergoing academic training, shall not be counted against 
     any employment ceiling affecting the Department or any other 
     Federal agency.
       ``(g) Breach of Contract.--An individual who fails to 
     comply with the contract entered into under subsection (d) 
     shall be subject to the same financial penalties as provided 
     for under section 338E for breaches of scholarship contracts 
     under sections 338A.
       ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $35,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2015.
       ``(i) Definition.--For purposes of this subpart, the term 
     `health center' has the meaning given such term in section 
     330(a).

     ``SEC. 781. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish the 
     Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (referred to 
     in this section as the `Program') to assure an adequate 
     supply of public health professionals to eliminate critical 
     public health workforce shortages in Federal, State, local, 
     and tribal public health agencies and in health centers.
       ``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to participate in the 
     Program, an individual shall--
       ``(1)(A) be accepted for enrollment, or be enrolled, as a 
     full-time or part-time student in an accredited academic 
     educational institution in a State or territory in the final 
     year of a course of study or program offered by that 
     institution leading to a health professions degree or 
     certificate, which may include a degree (graduate, 
     undergraduate, or associate) or certificate relating to 
     public health, laboratory sciences, epidemiology, 
     environmental health, health communications, health education 
     and behavioral sciences, information sciences, or public 
     administration; or
       ``(B) have graduated, within 10 years, from an accredited 
     educational institution in a State or territory and received 
     a health professions degree (graduate, undergraduate, or 
     associate) or certificate, which may include a degree 
     (graduate, undergraduate, or associate) or certificate 
     relating to public health, laboratory sciences, epidemiology, 
     environmental health, health communications, health education 
     and behavioral sciences, information sciences, or public 
     administration;
       ``(2)(A) in the case of an individual described in 
     paragraph (1)(A), have accepted employment with a Federal, 
     State, local, or tribal public health agency or a health 
     center, as recognized by the Secretary, to commence upon 
     graduation; or
       ``(B) in the case of an individual described in paragraph 
     (1)(B), be employed by, or have accepted employment with, a 
     Federal, State, local, or tribal public health agency or a 
     health center, as recognized by the Secretary;
       ``(3) be a United States citizen;
       ``(4) submit an application to the Secretary to participate 
     in the Program; and
       ``(5) sign and submit to the Secretary, at the time of the 
     submission of such application, a written contract (described 
     in subsection (d)) to serve for the applicable period of 
     obligated service in the full-time employment of a Federal, 
     State, local, or tribal public health agency or a health 
     center.
       ``(c) Dissemination of Information.--
       ``(1) Application and contract forms.--The Secretary shall 
     disseminate application forms and contract forms to 
     individuals desiring to participate in the Program. The 
     Secretary shall include with such forms--
       ``(A) a fair summary of the rights and liabilities of an 
     individual whose application is approved (and whose contract 
     is accepted) by the Secretary, including in the summary a 
     clear explanation of the damages to which the United States 
     is entitled to recover in the case of the individual's breach 
     of the contract; and
       ``(B) information relating to the service obligation and 
     such other information as may be necessary for the individual 
     to understand the individual's prospective participation in 
     the Program.
       ``(2) Information for schools.--The Secretary shall 
     distribute to health professions schools and other 
     appropriate accredited academic institutions and relevant 
     Federal, State, local, and tribal public health agencies and 
     health centers, materials providing information on the 
     Program and shall encourage such schools, institutions, and 
     agencies to disseminate such materials to potentially 
     eligible students.
       ``(3) Understandability and timing.--The application form, 
     contract form, and all

[[Page S5852]]

     other information furnished by the Secretary under this 
     section shall--
       ``(A) be written in a manner calculated to be understood by 
     the average individual applying to participate in the 
     Program; and
       ``(B) be made available by the Secretary on a date 
     sufficiently early to ensure that such individuals have 
     adequate time to carefully review and evaluate such forms and 
     information.
       ``(d) Contract.--The written contract (referred to in this 
     section) between the Secretary and an individual shall 
     contain--
       ``(1) an agreement on the part of the Secretary that the 
     Secretary will repay on behalf of the individual loans 
     incurred by the individual in the pursuit of the relevant 
     public health workforce educational degree or certificate in 
     accordance with the terms of the contract;
       ``(2) an agreement on the part of the individual that the 
     individual will serve, immediately upon graduation in the 
     case of an individual described in subsection (b)(1)(A) 
     service, or in the case of an individual described in 
     subsection (b)(1)(B) continue to serve, in the full-time 
     employment of a Federal, State, local, or tribal public 
     health agency or health center in a position related to the 
     course of study or program for which the contract was awarded 
     for a period of time (referred to in this section as the 
     `period of obligated service') equal to the greater of--
       ``(A) 3 years; or
       ``(B) such longer period of time as determined appropriate 
     by the Secretary and the individual;
       ``(3) an agreement, as appropriate, on the part of the 
     individual to relocate for the entire period of obligated 
     service to a political jurisdiction designated by the 
     Secretary to be a priority service area in exchange for an 
     additional loan repayment incentive amount that does not 
     exceed 20 percent of the individual's eligible loan repayment 
     award per academic year such that the total of the loan 
     repayment and the incentive amount shall not exceed \1/3\ of 
     the eligible loan balance per year;
       ``(4) in the case of an individual described in subsection 
     (b)(1)(A) who is in the final year of study and who has 
     accepted employment with a Federal, State, local, or tribal 
     public health agency or a health center upon graduation, an 
     agreement on the part of the individual to complete the 
     education or training, maintain an acceptable level of 
     academic standing (as determined by the education institution 
     offering the course of study or training), and agree to the 
     period of obligated service;
       ``(5) a provision that any financial obligation of the 
     United States arising out of a contract entered into under 
     this section and any obligation of the individual that is 
     conditioned thereon, is contingent on funds being 
     appropriated for loan repayments under this section;
       ``(6) a statement of the damages to which the United States 
     is entitled, under this section for the individual's breach 
     of the contract; and
       ``(7) such other statements of the rights and liabilities 
     of the Secretary and of the individual, not inconsistent with 
     this section.
       ``(e) Payments.--
       ``(1) In general.--A loan repayment provided for an 
     individual under a written contract under the Program shall 
     consist of payment, in accordance with paragraph (2), on 
     behalf of the individual of the principal, interest, and 
     related expenses on government and commercial loans received 
     by the individual regarding the undergraduate or graduate 
     education of the individual (or both), which loans were made 
     for--
       ``(A) tuition expenses; or
       ``(B) all other reasonable educational expenses, including 
     fees, books, and laboratory expenses, incurred by the 
     individual.
       ``(2) Payments for years served.--
       ``(A) In general.--For each year of obligated service that 
     an individual contracts to serve under subsection (d) the 
     Secretary may pay up to $35,000 on behalf of the individual 
     for loans described in paragraph (1). With respect to 
     participants under the Program whose total eligible loans are 
     less than $105,000, the Secretary shall pay an amount that 
     does not exceed \1/3\ of the eligible loan balance for each 
     year of obligated service of the individual.
       ``(B) Repayment schedule.--Any arrangement made by the 
     Secretary for the making of loan repayments in accordance 
     with this subsection shall provide that any repayments for a 
     year of obligated service shall be made no later than the end 
     of the fiscal year in which the individual completes such 
     year of service.
       ``(3) Tax liability.--For the purpose of providing 
     reimbursements for tax liability resulting from payments 
     under paragraph (2) on behalf of an individual--
       ``(A) the Secretary shall, in addition to such payments, 
     make payments to the individual in an amount not to exceed 39 
     percent of the total amount of loan repayments made for the 
     taxable year involved; and
       ``(B) may make such additional payments as the Secretary 
     determines to be appropriate with respect to such purpose.
       ``(4) Payment schedule.--The Secretary may enter into an 
     agreement with the holder of any loan for which payments are 
     made under the Program to establish a schedule for the making 
     of such payments.
       ``(f) Postponing Obligated Service.--With respect to an 
     individual receiving a degree or certificate from a school of 
     medicine, public health, nursing, osteopathic medicine, 
     dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, 
     pharmacy, psychology, or social work, the date of the 
     initiation of the period of obligated service may be 
     postponed, upon the submission by the individual of a 
     petition for such postponement and approval by the Secretary, 
     to the date on which the individual completes an approved 
     internship, residency, or other relevant public health 
     advanced training program.
       ``(g) Administrative Provisions.--
       ``(1) Hiring priority.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, Federal, State, local, and tribal public health 
     agencies and health centers may give hiring priority to any 
     individual who has qualified for and is willing to execute a 
     contract to participate in the Program.
       ``(2) Employment ceilings.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, individuals who have entered into written 
     contracts with the Secretary under this section, who are 
     serving as full-time employees of a State, local, or tribal 
     public health agency or a health center, or who are in the 
     last year of public health workforce academic preparation, 
     shall not be counted against any employment ceiling affecting 
     the Department or any other Federal agency.
       ``(h) Breach of Contract.--An individual who fails to 
     comply with the contract entered into under subsection (d) 
     shall be subject to the same financial penalties as provided 
     for under section 338E for breaches of loan repayment 
     contracts under section 338B.
       ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $195,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2015.

     ``SEC. 782. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS.

       ``(a) In General.--For the purpose of operating State, 
     local, tribal, and health center public health workforce loan 
     repayment programs under this subpart, the Secretary shall 
     award a grant to any public health agency that receives 
     public health preparedness cooperative agreements, or other 
     successor cooperative agreements, from the Department of 
     Health and Human Services.
       ``(b) Requirements.--A State or local loan repayment 
     program operated with a grant under subsection (a) shall 
     incorporate all provisions of the Public Health Workforce 
     Loan Repayment Program under section 781, including the 
     ability to designate priority service areas within the 
     relevant political jurisdiction.
       ``(c) Administration.--The head of the State or local 
     office that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall be 
     responsible for contracting and operating the loan repayment 
     program under the grant.
       ``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to obligate or limit any State, local, or tribal 
     government entity from implementing independent or 
     supplemental public health workforce development programs 
     within their borders.

     ``SEC. 783. TRAINING FOR MID-CAREER PUBLIC HEALTH 
                   PROFESSIONALS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to, or 
     enter into contracts with, any eligible entity to award 
     scholarships to eligible individuals to enroll in degree or 
     professional training programs for the purpose of enabling 
     mid-career professionals in the public health workforce to 
     receive additional training in the field of public health.
       ``(b) Eligibility.--
       ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
     indicates an accredited educational institution that offers a 
     course of study, certificate program, or professional 
     training program in infectious disease science, medicine, 
     public health, veterinary medicine, or other discipline 
     impacting or influenced by bioterrorism or emerging 
     infectious diseases.
       ``(2) Eligible individuals.--The term `eligible 
     individuals' includes those individuals employed in public 
     health positions at the Federal, State, tribal, or local 
     level or a health center who are interested in retaining or 
     upgrading their education.
       ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 
     $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2015.

     ``SEC. 784. CATALOGUE OF FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE 
                   EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

       ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Personnel 
     Management, in cooperation with the Secretary, shall ensure 
     that, included in the Internet website of the Office of 
     Personnel Management, there is an online catalogue, or link 
     to an online catalogue, of public health workforce employment 
     opportunities in the Federal Government.
       ``(b) Requirements.--To the extent practicable, the 
     catalogue described in subsection (a) shall include--
       ``(1) existing and projected job openings in the Federal 
     public health workforce; and
       ``(2) a general discussion of the occupations that comprise 
     the Federal public health workforce.
       ``(c) Information.--The Secretary shall include a copy of 
     the catalogue described in subsection (a), or a prominent 
     reference to the catalogue, in--
       ``(1) the application forms provided under section 
     780(c)(1); and
       ``(2) the information for schools provided under section 
     780(c)(2).''.
                                 ______