Health Workforce Diversity Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 9005 To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Univer- sities, regional community-based organizations, and national minority medical associations, for counseling, mentoring and providing information on financial assistance to prepare underrepresented minority individuals to enroll in and graduate from health professional schools and to increase services for underrepresented minority students, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 17, 2020 Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Sec- retary of Health and Human Services to award grants to Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black col- leges and universities, Asian American and Native Amer- ican Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, regional community-based organizations, and national minority medical associations, for coun- seling, mentoring and providing information on financial assistance to prepare underrepresented minority individ- uals to enroll in and graduate from health professional VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Jan 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H9005.IH H9005 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 9005 IH schools and to increase services for underrepresented mi- nority students, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Workforce Di- 4 versity Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, HISTORICALLY 6 BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, ASIAN 7 AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC 8 ISLANDER-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, TRIBAL 9 COLLEGES, REGIONAL COMMUNITY-BASED 10 ORGANIZATIONS, AND NATIONAL MINORITY 11 MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title VII of the Public 13 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293 et seq.) is amended 14 by adding at the end the following: 15 ‘‘SEC. 742. HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, HISTORI- 16 CALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, 17 ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN PA- 18 CIFIC ISLANDER-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, 19 AND TRIBAL COLLEGES. 20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 21 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 22 Administration and in consultation with the Secretary of 23 Education, shall award grants to Hispanic-serving institu- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Jan 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9005.IH H9005 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 9005 IH tions, historically Black colleges and universities, Asian 1 American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving 2 institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, regional com- 3 munity-based organizations, and national minority med- 4 ical associations, for counseling, mentoring and providing 5 information on financial assistance to prepare underrep- 6 resented minority individuals to enroll in and graduate 7 from health professional schools and to increase services 8 for underrepresented minority students including— 9 ‘‘(1) mentoring with underrepresented health 10 professionals; and 11 ‘‘(2) providing financial assistance information 12 for continued education and applications to health 13 professional schools. 14 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 ‘‘(1) ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN 16 PACIFIC ISLANDER-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 17 term ‘Asian American and Native American Pacific 18 Islander-serving institution’ has the meaning given 19 such term in section 320(b) of the Higher Education 20 Act of 1965. 21 ‘‘(2) HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 22 term ‘Hispanic-serving institution’ means an entity 23 that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Jan 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9005.IH H9005 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 9005 IH ‘‘(A) is a school or program for which 1 there is a definition under section 799B; 2 ‘‘(B) has an enrollment of full-time equiva- 3 lent students that is made up of at least 9 per- 4 cent Hispanic students; 5 ‘‘(C) has been effective in carrying out pro- 6 grams to recruit Hispanic individuals to enroll 7 in and graduate from the school; 8 ‘‘(D) has been effective in recruiting and 9 retaining Hispanic faculty members; 10 ‘‘(E) has a significant number of graduates 11 who are providing health services to medically 12 underserved populations or to individuals in 13 health professional shortage areas; and 14 ‘‘(F) is a Hispanic Center of Excellence in 15 Health Professions Education designated under 16 section 736(d)(2) of the Public Health Service 17 Act (42 U.S.C. 293(d)(2)). 18 ‘‘(3) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNI- 19 VERSITY.—The term ‘historically Black college and 20 university’ has the meaning given the term ‘part B 21 institution’ as defined in section 322 of the Higher 22 Education Act of 1965. 23 ‘‘(4) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 24 term ‘Tribal College or University’ has the meaning 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Jan 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9005.IH H9005 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 9005 IH given such term in section 316(b) of the Higher 1 Education Act of 1965. 2 ‘‘(c) CERTAIN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS.—In 3 carrying out the National Health Service Corps Loan Re- 4 payment Program established under subpart III of part 5 D of title III and the loan repayment program under sec- 6 tion 317F, the Secretary shall ensure, notwithstanding 7 such subpart or section, that loan repayments of not less 8 than $50,000 per year per person are awarded for repay- 9 ment of loans incurred for enrollment or participation of 10 underrepresented minority individuals in health profes- 11 sional schools and other health programs described in this 12 section. 13 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 14 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 15 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 16 2021 through 2026.’’. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Jan 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H9005.IH H9005 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS