I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4799 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a strategic 

plan to retrain displaced workers to become health care professionals 

serving areas with a shortage of such professionals, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2010 

Mr. SPACE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 

develop a strategic plan to retrain displaced workers 

to become health care professionals serving areas with 

a shortage of such professionals, 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 ‘‘Retraining a New 

5 Health Care Workforce Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STRATEGIC PLAN. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 9 months after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in conVerDate Nov 24 2008 22:47 Mar 10, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4799.IH H4799

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1 sultation with other relevant Federal departments and 

2 agencies, shall develop and submit to the Congress a stra3 tegic plan to retrain displaced workers to become health 

4 care professionals serving areas with a shortage of the 

5 type professionals involved. 

6 (b) PLAN.—The strategic plan under subsection (a) 

7 shall include— 

8 (1) an overview of national shortages in health 

9 care professions; 

10 (2) an assessment of how existing Federal 

11 health care workforce programs may be used for the 

12 purpose of retraining displaced workers to become 

13 health care professionals serving areas with a short14 age of the type professionals involved; and 

15 (3) recommendations for legislative and admin16 istrative changes for making such programs more ef17 fective in achieving such purpose. 

18 SEC. 3. ASSISTING DISPLACED WORKERS TO BECOME 

19 STATE-LICENSED OR CERTIFIED HEALTH 

20 CARE PROFESSIONALS. 

21 (a) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall establish a pro22 gram consisting of awarding grants to States to assist dis23 placed workers to become State-licensed or certified health 

24 care professionals serving areas with a shortage of the 

25 type professionals involved. 


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1 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received as a grant 

2 under this section may be used only to assist displaced 

3 workers to become State-licensed or certified health care 

4 professionals described in subsection (a). Such assist5 ance— 

6 (1) shall include training; and 

7 (2) may include— 

8 (A) reimbursement for costs associated 

9 with— 

10 (i) training; or 

11 (ii) applying for licensure or certifi12 cation; or 

13 (B) expediting the licensing or certification 

14 process. 

15 (c) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant under 

16 this section, a State shall demonstrate to the Secretary’s 

17 satisfaction that the State has— 

18 (1) an unemployment rate that is greater than 

19 the national average; 

20 (2) a significant quantity of displaced workers; 

21 and 

22 (3) a shortage of each type of health care pro23 fessional to be trained through the grant. 

24 (d) RELATION TO STRATEGIC PLAN.—In carrying 

25 out this section, the Secretary— 


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1 (1) shall take into consideration the strategic 

2 plan developed under section 2; and 

3 (2) may not award any grant under this section 

4 before such plan has been submitted to the Con5 gress. 

6 (e) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to the Con7 gress an annual report on the program under this section. 

8 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

9 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

10 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

11 2011 through 2015. 

12 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

15 of Health and Human Services. 

16 (2) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given to 

17 such term in section 2 of the Public Health Service 

18 Act (42 U.S.C. 201). 

Æ 


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