Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB1127 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 1127
5	5	To establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans
6	6	for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps
7	7	Loan Repayment Program.
8	8	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
9	9	FEBRUARY7, 2025
10	10	Mr. K
11	11	USTOFF(for himself and Ms. BUDZINSKI) introduced the following bill;
12	12	which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
13	13	A BILL
14	14	To establish a demonstration program to provide payments
15	15	on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the
16	16	National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Pro-
17	17	gram.
18	18	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
19	19	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
20	20	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
21	21	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural America Health 4
22	22	Corps Act’’. 5
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25	25	•HR 1127 IH
26	26	SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS RURAL PRO-1
27	27	VIDER LOAN REPAYMENT DEMONSTRATION 2
28	28	PROGRAM. 3
29	29	(a) I
30	30	NGENERAL.— 4
31	31	(1) E
32	32	STABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health 5
33	33	and Human Services (referred to in this section as 6
34	34	the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish a demonstration 7
35	35	program to provide payments on the principal of and 8
36	36	interest on any eligible loan for eligible individuals 9
37	37	described in paragraph (2). 10
38	38	(2) E
39	39	LIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—To be eligible for 11
40	40	payments under the program under this section, an 12
41	41	individual shall— 13
42	42	(A) be eligible to participate in the Loan 14
43	43	Repayment Program under section 338B of the 15
44	44	Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1), 16
45	45	but not be participating in such Loan Repay-17
46	46	ment Program; and 18
47	47	(B) agree to the requirements described in 19
48	48	subsection (b)(1). 20
49	49	(b) P
50	50	ROCEDURE.— 21
51	51	(1) R
52	52	EQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to receive 22
53	53	assistance under this section, an eligible individual 23
54	54	shall— 24
55	55	(A) comply with all rules and requirements 25
56	56	described in section 338B of the Public Health 26
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59	59	•HR 1127 IH
60	60	Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1), except for the 1
61	61	period of obligated service described in sub-2
62	62	section (f)(1)(B)(iv) of such section and as pro-3
63	63	vided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this sub-4
64	64	section; and 5
65	65	(B) agree to a period of obligated service 6
66	66	of 5 years of full-time employment in a health 7
67	67	professional shortage area that is a rural area. 8
68	68	(2) P
69	69	AYMENTS.— 9
70	70	(A) S
71	71	ERVICE IN A RURAL AREA.—The Sec-10
72	72	retary shall pay— 11
73	73	(i) for each year of obligated service 12
74	74	by an individual pursuant to an agreement 13
75	75	under this section,
76	76	1
77	77	⁄5of the principal of 14
78	78	and interest on each eligible loan, as deter-15
79	79	mined by the Secretary, which is out-16
80	80	standing on the date the individual began 17
81	81	service pursuant to the agreement; and 18
82	82	(ii) for completion of the fifth and 19
83	83	final year of such service, the remainder of 20
84	84	such principal and interest. 21
85	85	(B) M
86	86	AXIMUM AMOUNT .—The total 22
87	87	amount of payments under this section to any 23
88	88	individual shall not exceed $200,000. 24
89	89	(3) B
90	90	REACH.— 25
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93	93	•HR 1127 IH
94	94	(A) LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FORMULA .— 1
95	95	The Secretary may establish a liquidated dam-2
96	96	ages formula to be used in the event of a 3
97	97	breach of an agreement entered into under this 4
98	98	section. 5
99	99	(B) L
100	100	IMITATION.—The failure by an indi-6
101	101	vidual to complete the full period of service obli-7
102	102	gated pursuant to such an agreement, taken 8
103	103	alone, shall not constitute a breach of such 9
104	104	agreement, so long as the individual completed 10
105	105	in good faith the years of service for which pay-11
106	106	ments were made to the individual under this 12
107	107	section. 13
108	108	(4) A
109	109	PPLICABILITY OF LOAN REPAYMENT PRO -14
110	110	GRAM PROVISIONS.—Except as otherwise provided in 15
111	111	this section, all provisions in subparts II and III of 16
112	112	title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 17
113	113	241 et seq.) pertaining to the administration of, and 18
114	114	other requirements with respect to, the Loan Repay-19
115	115	ment Program described in section 338B of such 20
116	116	Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) shall apply to the dem-21
117	117	onstration program under this section. 22
118	118	(c) D
119	119	ESIGNATIONS.—The demonstration program 23
120	120	under this section, and any providers who are selected to 24
121	121	participate in such program, shall not be considered by 25
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124	124	•HR 1127 IH
125	125	the Secretary in the designation of health professional 1
126	126	shortage areas under section 332 of the Public Health 2
127	127	Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) during fiscal years 2026 3
128	128	through 2030. 4
129	129	(d) R
130	130	EPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 5
131	131	of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 6
132	132	the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-7
133	133	sions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 8
134	134	Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that 9
135	135	evaluates the demonstration program established under 10
136	136	this section, including the effects of such program on 11
137	137	health care access in rural areas. 12
138	138	(e) H
139	139	EALTHPROFESSIONALSHORTAGEAREA.—In 13
140	140	this section, the term ‘‘health professional shortage area’’ 14
141	141	has the meaning given such term in section 332 of the 15
142	142	Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). 16
143	143	(f) A
144	144	UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 17
145	145	authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 18
146	146	$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030. 19
147	147	Æ
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