I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3943 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide loan repayment incentives 

for physician assistants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 5, 2015 

Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide loan 

repayment incentives for physician assistants, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Physician Assistant 

5 Education Public Health Initiatives Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT FOR CERTAIN PHYSI7 CIAN ASSISTANTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part C of title VII of the Public 

9 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293k et seq.) is amended 

10 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart III—Physician Assistants 

2 ‘‘SEC. 749C. FACULTY POSITIONS IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 

3 EDUCATION PROGRAM LOAN REPAYMENT. 

4 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

5 ‘‘(1) CONTRACTS.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

6 the Secretary shall enter into contracts with eligible 

7 individuals under which such an individual agrees to 

8 serve as a full-time member of the faculty at a grad9 uate-level physician assistant education program (as 

10 defined in section 799B) in consideration of the 

11 Federal Government agreeing to pay, for each year 

12 of such service, at the end of each such year, not 

13 more than $10,000 of the principal and interest of 

14 the educational loans of such individual. 

15 ‘‘(2) CAP.—The Secretary may not pay more 

16 than $45,000 under this section for any individual. 

17 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this section, 

19 the term ‘eligible individual’ means an individual 

20 who— 

21 ‘‘(A) is a citizen, national, or lawful per22 manent resident of the United States; 

23 ‘‘(B) has a degree from a graduate-level 

24 physician assistant education program; 

25 ‘‘(C) has contracted with a graduate-level 

26 physician assistant education program to serve 


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1 as a member of the faculty for not less than 2 

2 years; and 

3 ‘‘(D) either— 

4 ‘‘(i) holds a license as a physician as5 sistant; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) is qualified for licensure as a 

7 physician assistant in a State where such 

8 individual serves as a full-time member of 

9 the faculty at a graduate-level physician 

10 assistant education program. 

11 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 

14 2017 through 2021. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 749D. PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PRIMARY CARE PRO16 VIDER LOAN REPAYMENT. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into 

18 contracts with eligible individuals under which such an in19 dividual agrees to serve for at least 2 years as a full-time 

20 physician assistant in a health professional shortage area, 

21 in a medically underserved area, or at a health center in 

22 consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay 

23 the eligible amount of the principal and interest of the 

24 educational loans of such individual. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE AMOUNT.—The term ‘eligible 

2 amount’ means, with respect to an eligible individual 

3 who has entered into a contract under subsection 

4 (a), with respect to the aggregate principal and in5 terest on educational loans of such individual out6 standing on the date such individual began the serv7 ice described in such contract— 

8 ‘‘(A) for each of the first two years of serv9 ice under such contract, 30 percent of such ag10 gregate principal and interest; and 

11 ‘‘(B) for the third year, if any, of service 

12 under such contract, 25 percent of such aggre13 gate principal and interest. 

14 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 

15 individual’ means an individual who— 

16 ‘‘(A) is a citizen, national, or lawful per17 manent resident of the United States; 

18 ‘‘(B) has a degree from a graduate-level 

19 physician assistant education program; and 

20 ‘‘(C) has contracted with a health care pro21 vider located in a health professional shortage 

22 area or a medically underserved area or with a 

23 health center to serve as a physician assistant 

24 for not less than 2 years. 


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1 ‘‘(3) HEALTH CENTER.—The term ‘health cen2 ter’ has the meaning given such term in section 

3 330(a). 

4 ‘‘(4) MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREA.—The 

5 term ‘medically underserved area’ has the meaning 

6 given the term ‘medically underserved community’ in 

7 section 799B(6). 

8 ‘‘(5) HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE

9 AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ 

10 has the meaning given such term in section 332(a). 

11 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 

14 2017 through 2021.’’. 

15 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

16 this section shall apply with respect to service occurring 

17 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 3. EXTENDING AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

19 TO SUPPORT FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND 

20 DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. 

21 Section 740 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 293d) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 

24 the following: ‘‘and each of the fiscal years 2017 

25 through 2021’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 

2 the following: ‘‘and such sums as may be necessary 

3 for each of the fiscal years 2017 through 2021’’; and 

4 (3) in subsection (c), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 

5 the following: ‘‘and each of the fiscal years 2017 

6 through 2021’’. 

7 SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF PRIMARY CARE TRAINING 

8 AND ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS. 

9 Section 747(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 293k(c)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 

12 the following: ‘‘and each of fiscal years 2017 

13 through 2021’’; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Fifteen’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘At least 15’’. 

16 SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH ON PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 

17 EDUCATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

19 Human Services shall provide grants to eligible entities to 

20 fund eligible researchers to increase research on physician 

21 assistant education. 

22 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a grant 

23 under this section shall submit to the Secretary an appli24 cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

25 information as the Secretary may require. 


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1 (c) CONDITION OF RECEIPT.—As a condition of re2 ceipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall each 

3 year award not fewer than eight eligible researchers funds 

4 to support physician assistant education research. 

5 (d) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—An entity receiving a 

6 grant under this section shall provide to the Secretary 

7 with respect to each year that such entity receives funds 

8 under this section a report on the activities conducted 

9 using such funds, including— 

10 (1) the number of researchers supported during 

11 such year by such entity using such funds; 

12 (2) a list of the researchers counted under 

13 paragraph (1), organized by researcher, including— 

14 (A) the institution such researcher is affili15 ated with; and 

16 (B) the research topic of such researcher; 

17 (3) citations to published clinical and scientific 

18 research by researchers described in paragraph (1) 

19 that is attributable to support under this section; 

20 (4) an evaluation of the benefits of grants 

21 under this section; and 

22 (5) any other information the Secretary may re23 quest. 

24 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means an organization that— 

3 (A) is a non-profit organization; and 

4 (B) has demonstrated expertise in physi5 cian assistant education and faculty develop6 ment. 

7 (2) ELIGIBLE RESEARCHER.—The term ‘‘eligi8 ble researcher’’ means, with respect to an eligible en9 tity, a researcher that— 

10 (A) has demonstrated expertise in physi11 cian assistant education and faculty develop12 ment; and 

13 (B) at such time and in such manner as 

14 such entity may require, provides such entity 

15 with a research proposal on improving physician 

16 assistant education and faculty development. 

17 (3) PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘physician assistant education’’ means select19 ing, educating, and graduating students in accred20 ited graduate physician assistant educational pro21 grams. 

22 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

24 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 


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1 necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 

2 2017 through 2021. 

Æ 


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