[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 2583 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. R. 2583
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 25 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Received
October 2 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to establish a loan
program for eligible hospitals to establish residency training
programs.
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 ``Physician Workforce Enhancement Act
of 2008''.
SEC. 2. HOSPITAL RESIDENCY LOAN PROGRAM.
Subpart 2 of part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act
is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 771. HOSPITAL RESIDENCY LOAN PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment.--Not later than October 1, 2010, the
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration, shall establish a hospital residency loan
program that provides loans to eligible hospitals to establish a
residency training program.
``(b) Application.--No loan may be provided under this section to
an eligible hospital except pursuant to an application that is
submitted and approved in a time, manner, and form specified by the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration. A
loan under this section shall be on such terms and conditions and meet
such requirements as the Administrator determines appropriate, in
accordance with the provisions of this section.
``(c) Eligibility; Preference for Rural Areas.--
``(1) Eligible hospital defined.--For purposes of this
section, an `eligible hospital' means, with respect to a loan
under this section, a public or non-profit hospital that, as of
the date of the submission of an application under subsection
(b), meets, to the satisfaction of the Administrator of the
Health Resources and Services Administration, each of the
following criteria:
``(A) The hospital does not operate a residency
training program and has not previously operated such a
program.
``(B) The hospital has secured initial
accreditation by the American Council for Graduate
Medical Education or the American Osteopathic
Association.
``(C) The hospital provides assurances to the
satisfaction of the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration that such loan
shall be used, consistent with subsection (d), only for
the purposes of establishing and conducting an
allopathic or osteopathic physician residency training
program in at least one of the following, or a
combination of the following:
``(i) Family medicine.
``(ii) Internal medicine.
``(iii) Obstetrics or gynecology.
``(iv) Behavioral or Mental health.
``(v) Pediatrics.
``(D) The hospital enters into an agreement with
the Administrator that certifies the hospital will
provide for the repayment of the loan in accordance
with subsection (e).
``(2) Preference for rural areas.--In making loans under
this section, the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration shall create guidelines that give
preference to rural areas (as such term is defined in section
1886(d)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act).
``(d) Permissible Uses of Loan Funds.--A loan provided under this
section shall be used, with respect to a residency training program,
only for costs directly attributable to the residency training program,
except as otherwise provided by the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration.
``(e) Repayment of Loans.--
``(1) Repayment plans.--For purposes of subsection
(c)(1)(D), a repayment plan for an eligible hospital is in
accordance with this subsection if it provides for the
repayment of the loan amount in installments, in accordance
with a schedule that is agreed to by the Administrator of the
Health Resources and Services Administration and the hospital
and that is in accordance with paragraphs (2), (3), and (4).
``(2) Commencement of repayment.--Repayment by an eligible
hospital of a loan under this section shall commence not later
than the date that is 18 months after the date on which the
loan amount is disbursed to such hospital.
``(3) Repayment period.--A loan made under this section
shall be fully repaid not later than the date that is 24 months
after the date on which the repayment is required to commence.
``(4) Loan payable in full if residency training program
canceled.--In the case that an eligible hospital borrows a loan
under this section, with respect to a residency training
program, and terminates such program before the date on which
such loan has been fully repaid in accordance with a plan under
paragraph (1), such loan shall be payable by the hospital not
later than 45 days after the date of such termination.
``(f) No Interest Charged.--The Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration may not charge or collect
interest on any loan made under this section.
``(g) Limitation on Total Amount of Loan.--The cumulative annual
dollar amount of a loan made to an eligible hospital under this section
may not exceed $250,000.
``(h) Penalties.--The Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration shall establish penalties to which an eligible
hospital receiving a loan under this section would be subject if such
hospital is in violation of any of the criteria described in subsection
(c)(1). Such penalties shall include the charge or collection of
interest, at a rate to be determined by the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration. Except as otherwise provided,
penalties collected under this subsection shall be paid to the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and
shall, subject to appropriation Acts, be available until expended for
the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this section.
``(i) Reports.--Not later than January 1, 2012, and annually
thereafter (before January 2, 2014), the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services Administration shall submit to Congress a report
on the efficacy of the program under this section in increasing the
number of residents practicing in each medical specialty described in
subsection (c)(1)(C) during such year and the extent to which the
program resulted in an increase in the number of available
practitioners in each of such medical specialties that serve medically
underserved populations.
``(j) Funding.--
``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--For the purpose of
providing amounts for loans under this section, there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to
provide--
``(A) $8,000,000 in loans for fiscal year 2010;
``(B) $8,400,000 in loans for fiscal year 2011;
``(C) $8,820,000 in loans for fiscal year 2012;
``(D) $9,261,000 in loans for fiscal year 2013; and
``(E) $9,724,050 in loans for fiscal year 2014.
``(2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under paragraph
(1) shall remain available until expended.
``(k) Termination of Program.--No loan may be made under this
section after December 31, 2013.''.
Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.