Secretary may provide direct technical assistance in lieu 
of cash. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION WITH NIH.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that epidemiological and other types of infor-
mation obtained under subsection (a) is made available to 
the National Institutes of Health. 
‘‘(d) CREATION OF A NATIONAL JUVENILE ARTHRI-
TIS POPULATION-BASED DATABASE.—The Secretary, act-
ing through the Director of the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention and in collaboration with a national 
voluntary health organization with experience serving the 
juvenile arthritis population as well as the full spectrum 
of arthritis-related conditions, may support the develop-
ment of a national juvenile arthritis population-based 
database to collect specific data for follow-up studies re-
garding the prevalence and incidence of juvenile arthritis, 
as well as capturing information on evidence-based health 
outcomes related to specific therapies and interventions. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 
to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2009 through 2013.’’ 
SEC. 
5. 
INVESTMENT 
IN 
TOMORROW’S 
PEDIATRIC 
RHEUMATOLOGISTS. 
(a) ENHANCED SUPPORT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to ensure an ade-
quate future supply of pediatric rheumatologists, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, in con-
sultation with the Administrator of the Health Re-
sources and Services Administration, shall support 
activities that provide for— 
(A) an increase in the number and size of 
institutional training grants awarded to institu-
tions to support pediatric rheumatology train-
ing; and 
(B) an expansion of public-private partner-
ships to encourage academic institutions, pri-
vate sector entities, and health agencies to pro-
mote educational training and fellowship oppor-
tunities for pediatric rheumatologists. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $3,750,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2009 through 2013. 
(b) PEDIATRIC LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator of the Health Resources and Services Admin-
istration, shall establish and, subject to the deter-
mination under paragraph (3), carry out a pediatric 
rheumatology loan repayment program. 
(2) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—Through the 
program established under this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall— 
(A) enter into contracts with qualified 
health 
professionals 
who 
are 
pediatric 
rheumatologists under which— 
(i) such professionals agree to provide 
health care in an area with a shortage of 
pediatric rheumatologists and that has the 
capacity to support pediatric rheumatology, 
as determined by the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services; and 
(ii) the Federal Government agrees to 
repay, for each year of such service, not 
more than $25,000 of the principal and in-
terest of the educational loans of such pro-
fessionals; and 
(B) in addition to making payments under 
paragraph (1) on behalf of an individual, make 
payments to the individual for the purpose of 
providing reimbursement for tax liability result-
ing from the payments made under paragraph 
(1), in an amount equal to 39 percent of the
total amount of the payments made for the tax-
able year involved. 
(3) DETERMINATION OF SHORTAGE AREAS.— 
For purposes of this subsection, an area shall be de-
termined to be an area with a shortage of pediatric 
rheumatologists based on the ratio of the number of 
children who reside in such area who are in need of 
services of a pediatric rheumatologist to the number 
of pediatric rheumatologists who furnish services 
within 100 miles of the area. 
(4) PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS.— 
(A) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Secretary 
of 
Health and Human Services shall periodically 
assess— 
(i) the extent to which the loan repay-
ment program under this section is needed; 
and 
(ii) the extent to which the program is 
effective in increasing the number of pedi-
atric rheumatologists nationally and the 
number of pediatric rheumatologists in 
areas 
with 
a 
shortage 
of 
pediatric 
rheumatologists. 
In the case that the Secretary determines, pur-
suant to an assessment under this subpara-
graph, that there is no longer a need for the 
loan repayment program, such program shall be 
terminated as of a date specified by the Sec-
retary. 
(B) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall annually re-
port to Congress on the periodic assessments 
conducted under subparagraph (A). 
(5) FUNDING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of car-
rying out this subsection, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services may reserve, from 
amounts appropriated for the Health Resources 
and Services Administration for the fiscal year 
involved, such amounts as the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate. 
(B) AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—Amounts 
made available to carry out this section shall re-
main available until the expiration of the second
fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for 
which such amounts were made available. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 27, 
2008. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1283 
AN ACT 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide 
for arthritis research and public health, and for 
other purposes.