I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5444 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to address the shortage of medical 
laboratory personnel, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 
Ms. ROSS (for herself and Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to address the 
shortage of medical laboratory personnel, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medical Laboratory 
Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. INCLUDING MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL 
AND SERVICES IN NATIONAL HEALTH SERV-
ICE CORPS PROGRAMS. 
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 331(a) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(a)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (3)(D), by striking ‘‘or mental 
health’’ and inserting ‘‘mental health, or medical 
laboratory services’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) The term ‘medical laboratory personnel’— 
‘‘(i) means individuals— 
‘‘(I) seeking or receiving training in 
an accredited medical laboratory science 
program; or 
‘‘(II) employed in a position in which 
the individual examines materials derived 
from the human body for the purpose of 
providing information for the diagnosis, 
prevention, or treatment of a disease or 
impairment of human beings; and 
‘‘(ii) includes phlebotomists, medical lab-
oratory assistants, histotechnologists, laboratory 
scientists, laboratory technicians, and genetic 
counselors.’’. 
(b) MEDICAL LABORATORY HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 
TARGET AREAS.—Section 332 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(l) MEDICAL LABORATORY HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 
TARGET AREAS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a program of— 
‘‘(A) identifying medical laboratory health 
professional target areas; and 
‘‘(B) assigning members of the Corps who 
are medical laboratory personnel to such areas. 
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE PROVISIONS.—The provisions 
of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of sub-
section (k) shall apply to the identification of med-
ical laboratory health professional target areas and 
the assignment of medical laboratory personnel 
under this subsection except that— 
‘‘(A) references to maternity care health 
professional target areas shall be treated as ref-
erences to medical laboratory health profes-
sional target areas; and 
‘‘(B) references to maternity care health 
professionals and maternity care shall be treat-
ed as references to medical laboratory personnel 
and medical laboratory services, respectively.’’. 
(c) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—Section 338B of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘medical 
laboratory personnel,’’ after ‘‘dentists,’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘an individual must—’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘or physician as-
sistant;’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘an indi-
vidual must— 
‘‘(1)(A)(i) have a degree in medicine, osteo-
pathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profes-
sion, or an appropriate degree from a graduate pro-
gram of behavioral and mental health; 
‘‘(ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse 
practitioner, or physician assistant; or 
‘‘(iii) have a degree in medical laboratory 
science;’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting 
‘‘medical laboratory science,’’ after ‘‘mental 
health,’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), by inserting 
‘‘medical laboratory science,’’ after ‘‘dentistry,’’. 
SEC. 3. MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL EDUCATION 
PROGRAM. 
The Public Health Service Act is amended by insert-
ing after section 778 (42 U.S.C. 295f–3) the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 779. MEDICAL LABORATORY PERSONNEL EDUCATION 
PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 
to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities that the 
Secretary has determined are capable of carrying out such 
grant or contract— 
‘‘(1) to plan, develop, operate, or participate in 
an accredited medical laboratory professional edu-
cation program that awards an associate’s, bach-
elor’s, or graduate degree or certificate; and 
‘‘(2) to recruit, train, and develop faculty for 
such program. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITIES IN MAKING AWARDS.—In awarding 
grants and contracts under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall give priority to eligible entities that— 
‘‘(1) utilize innovative approaches to clinical 
teaching; 
‘‘(2) are committed to training individuals from 
rural, underrepresented, or disadvantaged back-
grounds; 
‘‘(3) teach collaboration among health profes-
sionals; or 
‘‘(4) provide training in cultural competency 
and health literacy. 
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