I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3347 

To require geographical diversity in the provision of health profession opportunity grants under section 2008 of the Social Security Act, and to 

require the support services provided through the use of the grants 

to include a transportation assistance plan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 19, 2019 

Ms. SEWELL of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To require geographical diversity in the provision of health 

profession opportunity grants under section 2008 of the 

Social Security Act, and to require the support services 

provided through the use of the grants to include a 

transportation assistance plan. 

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 ‘‘Rural Health Training 

5 Opportunities Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY IN PROVISION OF 

2 GRANTS; INCLUSION OF TRANSPORTATION 

3 ASSISTANCE PLAN AMONG SUPPORT SERV4 ICES. 

5 Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 1397g) is amended by redesignating subsections (c) and 

7 (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively, and by insert8 ing after subsection (b) the following: 

9 ‘‘(c) GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY; TRANSPORTATION

10 ASSISTANCE PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(1) PREFERENCE FOR APPLICATIONS FOR

12 PROJECTS TO SERVE A RURAL AREA.—In consid13 ering applications for a grant under this section, the 

14 Secretary shall give preference to applications which 

15 describe a demonstration project that will serve a 

16 rural area in which— 

17 ‘‘(A) the community in which the individ18 uals to be enrolled in the project reside is lo19 cated; 

20 ‘‘(B) the project will be conducted; or 

21 ‘‘(C) an employer partnership that has 

22 committed to hiring individuals who successfully 

23 complete all activities under the project is lo24 cated. 

25 ‘‘(2) SUPPORT REQUIRED TO INCLUDE TRANS26 PORTATION ASSISTANCE PLAN.—A project for which 


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1 a grant is made under this section shall include a 

2 plan to provide project participants with transpor3 tation through means such as the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) Referral to, and assistance with en5 rollment in, a subsidized transportation pro6 gram. 

7 ‘‘(B) If a subsidized transportation pro8 gram is not reasonably available, direct pay9 ments to subsidize transportation costs. 

10 For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘transpor11 tation’ includes public transit, or gasoline for a per12 sonal vehicle if public transit is not reasonably ac13 cessible or available. 

14 ‘‘(3) REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.—During 

15 each Congress, the Secretary shall submit to the 

16 Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Finance of 

18 the Senate a report— 

19 ‘‘(A) on, with respect to the period since 

20 the period covered in the most recent prior re21 port submitted under this paragraph— 

22 ‘‘(i) the number of applications sub23 mitted under each subsection of this sec24 tion, with a separate statement of the 


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1 number of applications referred to in para2 graph (1); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) the number of the applications 

4 that were approved, with a separate state5 ment of the number of such applications 

6 referred to in paragraph (1); and 

7 ‘‘(B) that includes an assessment of the ef8 fectiveness of the demonstration projects con9 ducted under this section with respect to ad10 dressing health professions workforce shortages 

11 or in-demand jobs in rural areas.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

13 The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 

14 on October 1, 2019. 

Æ 


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