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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5456 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

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.''.
                                 <all>
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