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

<DOC>

                                                       Calendar No. 553
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3022

                          [Report No. 118-240]

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 4, 2023

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Mullin) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

                           November 12, 2024

               Reported by Mr. Schatz, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``IHS Workforce Parity Act of 
2023''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN 
              RECIPIENTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) in the Service;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(III) in a program assisted under title 
                V; or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(aa) is situated in a physician 
                        or other health professional shortage area; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(bb) addresses the health care 
                        needs of a substantial number of Indians; 
                        or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) to double the period of obligated 
                service that would otherwise be required; or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(II) accept a minimum service obligation 
                of 2 years with an award amount equal to 50 percent of 
                the amount that would otherwise be payable for full-
                time (as so defined) service.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.--Section 
108(f)(1)(B) of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 
1616a(f)(1)(B)) is amended by striking clause (iii) and inserting the 
following:</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) to serve for a period of 
                        time (referred to in this section as the 
                        `period of obligated service') equal to--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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; or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II)(aa) 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; or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(bb) not less than 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;''.</DELETED>

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.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 553

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 3022

                          [Report No. 118-240]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           November 12, 2024

                       Reported with an amendment
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