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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3022 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3022

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health 
Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations 
      through half-time clinical practice, 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 ``IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN RECIPIENTS.

    (a) Indian Health Professions Scholarships.--Section 104(b)(3) of 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1613a(b)(3)) is 
amended by striking the paragraph designation and all that follows 
through the end of subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:
    ``(3)(A) The active duty service obligation under a written 
contract with the Secretary under section 338A of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l) that an individual has entered into under 
that section shall, if that individual is a recipient of an Indian 
Health Scholarship--
            ``(i) be met by full-time (as defined in section 331(j) of 
        the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(j))) practice--
                    ``(I) in the Service;
                    ``(II) in a program conducted under a contract 
                entered into under the Indian Self-Determination and 
                Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.);
                    ``(III) in a program assisted under title V; or
                    ``(IV) in the private practice of the applicable 
                profession if, as determined by the Secretary, in 
                accordance with guidelines issued by the Secretary, the 
                practice--
                            ``(aa) is situated in a physician or other 
                        health professional shortage area; and
                            ``(bb) addresses the health care needs of a 
                        substantial number of Indians; or
            ``(ii) be met by half-time (as defined in section 331(j) of 
        the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(j))) practice in 
        a program described in any of subclauses (I) through (IV) of 
        clause (i) if the individual agrees, in writing--
                    ``(I) to double the period of obligated service 
                that would otherwise be required if the individual were 
                satisfying the period of obligated service through 
                full-time (as so defined) practice; and
                    ``(II) that if the individual fails to begin or 
                complete the period of obligated service described in 
                subclause (I), the procedures described in section 
                108(l)(2) for determining damages for breach of 
                contract will be used after converting that period of 
                obligated service or service performed into its full-
                time equivalent.''.
    (b) Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.--Section 108 of 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (f)(1)(B), by striking clause (iii) and 
        inserting the following:
                            ``(iii) to serve for a period of time 
                        (referred to in this section as the `period of 
                        obligated service') equal to--
                                    ``(I) 2 years, or a longer period 
                                of time as the individual may agree to 
                                serve, in the full-time (as defined in 
                                section 331(j) of the Public Health 
                                Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(j))) 
                                clinical practice of the profession of 
                                the individual in an Indian health 
                                program to which the individual may be 
                                assigned by the Secretary;
                                    ``(II) 4 years, or a longer period 
                                of time as the individual may agree to 
                                serve, in the half-time (as defined in 
                                that section) clinical practice of the 
                                profession of the individual in an 
                                Indian health program to which the 
                                individual may be assigned by the 
                                Secretary, subject to the condition 
                                that if the individual has agreed to 
                                serve for a period longer than 2 years 
                                of full-time (as so defined) service, 
                                as described in subclause (I), the 
                                half-time (as so defined) service 
                                obligation shall be the amount of time 
                                required for the individual to complete 
                                an equivalent amount of service on a 
                                half-time (as so defined) basis; or
                                    ``(III) 2 years in the half-time 
                                (as so defined) clinical practice of 
                                the profession of the individual in an 
                                Indian health program to which the 
                                individual may be assigned by the 
                                Secretary with a loan payment amount 
                                equal to 50 percent of the amount that 
                                would otherwise be payable for full-
                                time (as so defined) service for that 
                                same period of obligated service; and
                            ``(iv) in the case of an individual 
                        completing a period of obligated service 
                        through half-time (as so defined) clinical 
                        practice, that if the individual fails to begin 
                        or complete that period of obligated service, 
                        the procedures described in subsection (l)(2) 
                        for determining damages for breach of contract 
                        under this section will be used after 
                        converting the period of obligated service or 
                        service performed into its full-time (as so 
                        defined) equivalent;''; and
            (2) in subsection (l)(2), in the undesignated matter 
        following subparagraph (D), by inserting the following before 
        ``Amounts'': ``Periods of obligated service completed in half-
        time (as defined in section 331(j) of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(j))) clinical practice shall be converted 
        to their full-time (as defined in that section) equivalents for 
        purposes of determining damages for breach of contract under 
        this paragraph.''.

            Passed the Senate December 17 (legislative day, December 
      16), 2024.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 3022

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health 
Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations 
      through half-time clinical practice, and for other purposes.
```