I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1411 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Primary and Public 
Health Scholarship Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2009 
Mr. MCDERMOTT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a 
Primary and Public Health Scholarship Program. 
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 ‘‘United States Primary 
and Preventive Health Care Corps Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PRIMARY AND PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
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‘‘Subpart 3—Primary and Public Health Scholarship 
Program 
‘‘SEC. 775. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
and carry out the Primary and Public Health Scholarship 
Program (in this section referred to as the ‘Scholarship 
Program’) under which the Secretary shall enter into con-
tracts with all eligible individuals in accordance with this 
section. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to participate in 
the Scholarship Program, an individual must— 
‘‘(1) be accepted for enrollment, or be enrolled, 
as a full-time student— 
‘‘(A) in an accredited (as determined by 
the Secretary) institution of higher education 
that is a public graduate medical school in a 
State that is funded by such State; and 
‘‘(B) in a course of study or program, of-
fered by such institution and approved by the 
Secretary, leading to a degree in medicine, os-
teopathic medicine, dentistry, or other health 
profession, or an appropriate degree from a 
graduate program of behavioral and mental 
health; 
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‘‘(2) submit an application to participate in the 
Scholarship Program in such form and manner and 
at such time as specified by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(3) sign and submit to the Secretary, at the 
time of submittal of such application, a written con-
tract (described in subsection (d)) to accept payment 
of a scholarship and to serve (in accordance with 
this section) for a period of not less than 4 years at 
a health care facility that serves a designated pri-
mary care or public health shortage area located in 
the State in which the institution is located. 
‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual becomes a 
participant in the Scholarship Program only upon 
the approval of the Secretary of the individual’s ap-
plication submitted under subsection (b)(2) and the 
Secretary’s acceptance of the contract submitted by 
the individual under subsection (b)(3). 
‘‘(2) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 
written notice to an individual promptly upon the 
Secretary’s approving, under paragraph (1), of the 
individual’s participation in the Scholarship Pro-
gram. 
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‘‘(d) CONTRACT.—The contract described in this sub-
section is a written contract between the Secretary and 
an individual that contains— 
‘‘(1) an agreement that— 
‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (2), the Sec-
retary agrees to provide the individual with a 
scholarship (described in subsection (e)) for 
each such school year during the period of years 
(not to exceed four school years), during which 
the individual is pursuing a course of study de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1)(B); and 
‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (2), the indi-
vidual agrees— 
‘‘(i) to accept provision of such a 
scholarship to the individual; 
‘‘(ii) to maintain enrollment in a 
course of study described in subsection 
(b)(1)(B) until the individual completes the 
course of study; 
‘‘(iii) while enrolled in such course of 
study, to maintain an acceptable level of 
academic standing (as determined under 
regulations of the Secretary by the edu-
cational institution offering such course of 
study); and 
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‘‘(iv) to serve as a health professional 
for a period of full-time service of not less 
than 4 years at a health care facility serv-
ing an area— 
‘‘(I) that is located in the State 
in which the individual attended the 
institution of higher education de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(II) that is designated by the 
Secretary, in consultation with the 
Governor of such State, as being a 
primary care or public health shortage 
area; 
‘‘(2) a provision that any financial obligation of 
the United States arising out of a contract entered 
into under this section and any obligation of the in-
dividual which is conditioned thereon, is contingent 
upon funds being appropriated for scholarships 
under this section; 
‘‘(3) a statement of the damages to which the 
United States is entitled, under subsection (f) for 
the individual’s breach of the contract; and 
‘‘(4) such other statements of the rights and li-
abilities of the Secretary and of the individual, not 
inconsistent with the provisions of this title. 
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the provision of this section) would increase by more 
than 3 percentage points from the year prior to the 
date of the enactment of this section. 
‘‘(f) BREACH OF SCHOLARSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) FAILURE
TO
COMPLETE
COURSE
OF 
STUDY.—An individual who has entered into a writ-
ten contract with the Secretary under this section 
and who— 
‘‘(A) fails to maintain an acceptable level 
of academic standing in the institution of high-
er education described in subsection (b)(1)(A) 
in which he is enrolled (such level determined 
by the institution under regulations of the Sec-
retary); 
‘‘(B) is dismissed from such institution for 
disciplinary reasons; or 
‘‘(C) voluntarily terminates the training in 
such an institution for which he is provided a 
scholarship under such contract, before the 
completion of such training, 
in lieu of any service obligation arising under such 
contract, shall be liable to the United States for the 
amount that is equal to the sum of the total amount 
which has been paid to the individual, or on the be-
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half of the individual, under the contract plus any 
amount of interest, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) FAILURE TO COMPLETE SERVICE OBLIGA-
TION.—If an individual breaches his written contract 
by failing to begin such individual’s service obliga-
tion under this section, or to complete such service 
obligation, the United States shall be entitled to re-
cover from the individual an amount that is equal to 
the sum of— 
‘‘(A) the total amount which has been paid 
to the individual, or on his behalf of the indi-
vidual, under the contract; 
‘‘(B) any amount of interest, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(C) the amount that is equal to 10 per-
cent of the amount described in subparagraph 
(A). 
‘‘(g) DESIGNATED
PRIMARY
CARE
OR
PUBLIC 
HEALTH SHORTAGE AREA.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘designated primary care or public health short-
age area’ means, with respect to a State, an area des-
ignated by the Secretary, in consultation with the Gov-
ernor of the State, as being without sufficient practicing 
primary care physicians to ensure access to primary care, 
public health care services, and preventive care. 
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‘‘(h) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.—The 
provisions of subpart III of part D of title III shall, except 
as inconsistent with this section, apply to the program es-
tablished under this section in the same manner and to 
the same extent as such provisions apply to the National 
Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established 
under such subpart.’’. 
Æ 
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