I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2274 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve education 

opportunities for physician assistants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2021 

Ms. BASS (for herself and Mr. TRONE) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve 

education opportunities 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 Higher Education Modernization Act of 2021’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2274 IH

1 SEC. 2. REINSTATEMENT OF AUTHORITY TO MAKE FED2 ERAL DIRECT SUBSIDIZED STAFFORD LOANS 

3 TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND OTHER 

4 GRADUATE HEALTH PROFESSIONS STU5 DENTS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 455(a)(3) of the Higher 

7 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)(3)) is amend8 ed by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the fol9 lowing new subparagraph: 

10 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—Subparagraph (A) 

11 shall not apply to— 

12 ‘‘(i) an individual enrolled in course 

13 work specified in paragraph (3)(B) or 

14 (4)(B) of 484(b); or 

15 ‘‘(ii) a graduate student in a— 

16 ‘‘(I) physician assistant education 

17 program (as defined in section 799B 

18 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 295p)); or 

20 ‘‘(II) any other health professions 

21 program, as determined by the Sec22 retary.’’. 

23 (b) INAPPLICABILITY OF TITLE IV NEGOTIATED

24 RULEMAKING AND MASTER CALENDAR EXCEPTION.— 

25 Sections 482(c) and 492 of the Higher Education Act of 

26 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1089(c), 1098a) shall not apply to the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2274 IH

1 amendments made by this section, or to any regulations 

2 promulgated under those amendments. 

3 SEC. 3. MAKING PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS ELIGIBLE FOR IN4 CENTIVES WHEN SERVING AS PRIMARY CARE 

5 PROVIDERS OR FACULTY MEMBERS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 428K of the Higher Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–11) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(19) PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.—The individual 

11 is a physician assistant employed full-time— 

12 ‘‘(A) as a physician assistant in a clinical 

13 setting providing primary care services; or 

14 ‘‘(B) as a member of the physician assist15 ant faculty at a physician assistant education 

16 program (as defined in section 799B of the 

17 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p)).’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (g), by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(11) PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT.—The term ‘phy21 sician assistant’ means an individual who— 

22 ‘‘(A) graduated from a physician assistant 

23 education program (as defined in section 799B 

24 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 295p)); 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2274 IH

1 ‘‘(B) is certified as a physician assistant by 

2 the National Commission on the Certification of 

3 Physician Assistants or any successor organiza4 tion; and 

5 ‘‘(C) either— 

6 ‘‘(i) holds a valid and unrestricted li7 cense to practice medicine as a physician 

8 assistant in the State in which the physi9 cian assistant practices in a clinical set10 ting; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) is qualified for licensure in the 

12 State where the individual is employed as 

13 a full-time physician assistant faculty 

14 member of a physician assistant education 

15 program (as defined in section 799B of the 

16 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

17 295p)).’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

19 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2022’’. 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

21 this section shall apply with respect to employment occur22 ring on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2274 IH

1 SEC. 4. GRANT ELIGIBILITY FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 

2 PROGRAMS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COL3 LEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND PREDOMI4 NANTLY BLACK INSTITUTIONS. 

5 (a) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVER6 SITIES.—Section 723 of the Higher Education Act of 

7 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1136a) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘physician 

9 assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘physi11 cian assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; and 

12 (3) in subsection (d)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘physi14 cian assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

16 at the end; 

17 (C) by redesignating paragraph (12) as 

18 paragraph (13); and 

19 (D) by inserting after paragraph (11) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(12) in the case of a grant for a physician as22 sistant education program (as defined in section 

23 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 295p))— 

25 ‘‘(A) creating or improving facilities for 

26 internet or other distance education techVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:31 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2274.IH H2274

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2274 IH

1 nologies, including purchase or rental of tele2 communications technology equipment or serv3 ices; and 

4 ‘‘(B) collaborating with other institutions 

5 of higher education to expand postbaccalaureate 

6 degree offerings; and’’. 

7 (b) PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTIONS.—Sec8 tion 724 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

9 1136b) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘physician 

11 assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘physi13 cian assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; and 

14 (3) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘physi16 cian assistant studies,’’ after ‘‘allied health,’’; 

17 (B) by redesignating paragraph (12) as 

18 paragraph (13); and 

19 (C) by inserting after paragraph (11) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(12) in the case of a grant for a physician as22 sistant education program (as defined in section 

23 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 295p))— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2274 IH

1 ‘‘(A) creating or improving facilities for 

2 internet or other distance education tech3 nologies, including purchase or rental of tele4 communications technology equipment or serv5 ices; and 

6 ‘‘(B) collaborating with other institutions 

7 of higher education to expand postbaccalaureate 

8 degree offerings; and’’. 

9 (c) EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS.—Subsections (a) and (b) of section 725 of the 

11 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1136c) are each 

12 amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘fis13 cal year 2022’’. 

14 SEC. 5. PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT POSTBACCALAUREATE OP15 PORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 514 of the Higher Edu17 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1102c) is amended by add18 ing at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDU20 CATION PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall give preference 

21 to an application by an eligible institution for a grant 

22 under this part that demonstrates that the grant funds 

23 awarded under this part will be used to support physician 

24 assistant education programs (as defined in section 799B 

25 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p)).’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2274 IH

1 (b) EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA2 TIONS.—Section 528(a)(2) of the Higher Education Act 

3 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1103g(a)(2)) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘$100,000,000 for fiscal year 

5 2009 and’’; and 

6 (2) by inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2022 and’’ after 

7 ‘‘such sums as may be necessary for’’. 

8 SEC. 6. SUPPORTING STUDENT MATRICULATION AND PHY9 SICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

10 AT RURAL SERVING INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH11 ER EDUCATION. 

12 Section 861 of part Q of title VIII of the Higher Edu13 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161q) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (f)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘three of the following 

16 four’’ and inserting ‘‘four of the following five’’; 

17 and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(5) To improve health workforce distribution 

20 in rural areas by supporting health professions stu21 dent matriculation or the development of new health 

22 professions programs, including physician assistant 

23 education programs (as defined in section 799B of 

24 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p)).’’; 

25 and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2274 IH

1 (2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

2 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2022’’. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS