Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Act of 2003

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 623 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 623

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the shortage of
medical laboratory personnel.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 5, 2003

Mr. Shimkus (for himself, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Mr. Bilirakis)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the shortage of
medical laboratory personnel.

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 ``Medical Laboratory Personnel
Shortage Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. RESPONSE TO SHORTAGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL; PROGRAMS
OF HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION.

(a) Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs.--Section 737 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293a)) is amended by adding at the
end the following subsection:
``(e) Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program for Medical
Technologists, Medical Laboratory Technicians, and Other Medical
Laboratory Personnel.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a program
of scholarships and loan repayment for the purpose of
alleviating the shortage of medical laboratory personnel. The
scholarship and loan repayment program shall include a period
of obligated service for recipients in a designated health
professional shortage area, or other area where there is a
shortage of medical laboratory personnel. The Secretary may
model the program after the scholarship and loan repayment
programs under sections 338A and 338B.
``(2) Eligible entities.--Schools of allied health, and
health care institution-based programs training medical
laboratory personnel, are eligible to receive awards under
paragraph (1).
``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--For the purpose of
carrying out this subsection, there are authorized to be
appropriated $11,193,000 in fiscal year 2004, and such sums as
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through
2008. Such authorization is in addition to other authorizations
of appropriations that are available for such purpose.''.
(b) Other Programs Under Title VII.--
(1) Allied health and other disciplines.--
(A) Preference in making awards; public service
announcements.--Section 755 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294e)) is amended by adding at
the end the following subsections:
``(c) Preference in Making Awards.--In making awards of grants and
contracts under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference to
making awards to assist entities in meeting the costs associated with
expanding or establishing programs that will increase the number of
individuals trained as medical laboratory personnel.
``(d) Public Service Announcements.--The Secretary shall develop
and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote
medical laboratory personnel careers, highlight the advantages and
rewards of medical laboratory personnel careers, and encourage
individuals to enter medical laboratory personnel careers.''.
(B) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 757
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294g(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following subsection:
``(d) Allied Health and Other Disciplines.--For the purpose of
carrying out section 755, there are authorized to be appropriated
$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may be necessary
for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008. Such authorization is
in addition to the authorizations of appropriations under subsection
(a) that are available for such purpose.''.
(2) Other title vii programs.--Section 740 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293d) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection
(e); and
(B) by inserting after subsection (c) the following
subsection:
``(d) Medical Laboratory Personnel.--For the purpose of increasing
the number of individuals trained as medical laboratory personnel
through making awards of grants or contracts under sections 737 through
739 for appropriate schools of allied health, there are authorized to
be appropriated, in addition to authorizations of appropriations under
subsections (a) through (c) that are available for such purpose, the
following:
``(1) For awards under section 738 to serve as members of
the faculty of such schools, $332,500 for fiscal year 2004, and
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005
through 2008.
``(2) For awards under section 739 to such schools,
$8,200,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008.''.
(3) Definition of medical laboratory personnel.--Section
799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(12) The term `medical laboratory personnel' means allied
health professionals (as defined in paragraph (5)) who are
medical technologists, cytotechnologists, histotechnologists,
phlebotomists, or medical laboratory technicians, or who are in
other fields that, within the meaning of section 353(a)
(relating to the certification of clinical laboratories),
examine materials derived from the human body for the purpose
of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or
treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of
the health of, human beings.''.

SEC. 3. RESPONSE TO SHORTAGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL; PROGRAMS
OF CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

Title XV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300k et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 1509 the following section:

``SEC. 1509A. SHORTAGE OF TECHNOLOGISTS FOR LABORATORY ANALYSIS
REGARDING SCREENING FOR CERVICAL CANCER.

``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration and in
collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, shall make grants to appropriate public and nonprofit
private entities to provide training to increase the number of
cytotechnologists who are available with respect to screening women for
cervical cancer.
``(b) Funding.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), for the
purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to
be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums
as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through
2008.
``(2) Limitation.--The authorization of appropriations
established in paragraph (1) is not effective for a fiscal year
unless the amount appropriated under section 1510(a) for the
fiscal year is equal to or greater than $173,928,000.''.

SEC. 4. RESPONSE TO SHORTAGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL; PROGRAMS
OF NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE.

Section 422(c)(3)(C) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
285b-4(c)(3)(C)) is amended by inserting after ``allied health
professionals'' the following: ``, with emphasis given in the training
of such professionals to the training of medical laboratory personnel
(as defined in section 799B) in medical laboratory disciplines with
respect to which there are needs for increased numbers of personnel''.
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