[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5456 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5456
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize rural residency
planning and development grant programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 9, 2024
Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize rural residency
planning and development grant programs, and for other purposes.
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 Residency Planning and
Development Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. RURAL RESIDENCY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.
Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 330A-2 the following:
``SEC. 330A-3. RURAL RESIDENCY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND
RURAL RESIDENCY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
``(a) Definition of Rural Residency Program.--In this section, the
term `rural residency program' means a physician residency program,
including a rural track program, accredited by the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (or a similar body) that--
``(1) trains residents in rural areas (as defined by the
Secretary) for more than 50 percent of the total time of their
residency; and
``(2) primarily focuses on producing physicians who will
practice in rural areas, as defined by the Secretary.
``(b) Rural Residency Planning and Development Program.--
``(1) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection,
the term `eligible entity'--
``(A) means--
``(i) a domestic public or private
nonprofit or for-profit entity; or
``(ii) an Indian Tribe or Tribal
organization; and
``(B) may include faith-based or community-based
organizations, rural hospitals, rural community-based
ambulatory patient care centers (including rural health
clinics), health centers operated by an Indian Tribe,
Tribal organization, or urban Indian organization,
graduate medical education consortiums (including
institutions of higher education, such as schools of
allopathic medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine,
or historically Black colleges or universities), or
other organizations as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
``(2) Grants.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants
to eligible entities to create new rural residency
programs (including adding new rural training sites to
existing rural track programs).
``(B) Funding.--Grants awarded under this
subsection may be fully funded at the time of the
award.
``(C) Term.--The term of a grant under this
subsection shall be 3 years and may be extended at the
discretion of the Secretary.
``(3) Applications.--
``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall
prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at
such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require, including a
description of the pathway of the rural residency
program as described in subparagraph (B).
``(B) Pathway.--A pathway of a rural residency
program supported under this subsection shall be for--
``(i) general primary care and high-need
specialty care, including family medicine,
internal medicine, preventive medicine,
psychiatry, pediatrics, or general surgery;
``(ii) maternal health and obstetrics,
which may be obstetrics and gynecology or
family medicine with enhanced obstetrical
training; or
``(iii) any other pathway as determined
appropriate by the Secretary.
``(c) Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance
Program.--
``(1) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection,
the term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a domestic public or private nonprofit or
for-profit entity; or
``(B) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization.
``(2) Grants.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may award grants
to eligible entities to provide technical assistance to
awardees of and potential applicants of the program
described in subsection (b).
``(B) Funding.--Grants awarded under this
subsection may be fully funded at the time of the
award.
``(C) Term.--The term of a grant under this
subsection shall be 4 years and may be extended at the
discretion of the Secretary.
``(3) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant
under this subsection, an eligible entity shall prepare and
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2025 through 2029.
``(2) Availability.--Any amounts appropriated under
paragraph (1) shall remain available to the Secretary until
expended.''.
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