I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3943 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide loan repayment incentives 
for physician assistants, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 
Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide loan 
repayment incentives for physician assistants, 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 ‘‘Physician Assistant 
Education Public Health Initiatives Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT FOR CERTAIN PHYSI-
CIAN ASSISTANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part C of title VII of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293k et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘Subpart III—Physician Assistants 
‘‘SEC. 749C. FACULTY POSITIONS IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 
EDUCATION PROGRAM LOAN REPAYMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) CONTRACTS.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the Secretary shall enter into contracts with eligible 
individuals under which such an individual agrees to 
serve as a full-time member of the faculty at a grad-
uate-level physician assistant education program (as 
defined in section 799B) in consideration of the 
Federal Government agreeing to pay, for each year 
of such service, at the end of each such year, not 
more than $10,000 of the principal and interest of 
the educational loans of such individual. 
‘‘(2) CAP.—The Secretary may not pay more 
than $45,000 under this section for any individual. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE
INDIVIDUAL.—In this section, 
the term ‘eligible individual’ means an individual 
who— 
‘‘(A) is a citizen, national, or lawful per-
manent resident of the United States; 
‘‘(B) has a degree from a graduate-level 
physician assistant education program; 
‘‘(C) has contracted with a graduate-level 
physician assistant education program to serve 
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as a member of the faculty for not less than 2 
years; and 
‘‘(D) either— 
‘‘(i) holds a license as a physician as-
sistant; or 
‘‘(ii) is qualified for licensure as a 
physician assistant in a State where such 
individual serves as a full-time member of 
the faculty at a graduate-level physician 
assistant education program. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2017 through 2021. 
‘‘SEC. 749D. PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PRIMARY CARE PRO-
VIDER LOAN REPAYMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into 
contracts with eligible individuals under which such an in-
dividual agrees to serve for at least 2 years as a full-time 
physician assistant in a health professional shortage area, 
in a medically underserved area, or at a health center in 
consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay 
the eligible amount of the principal and interest of the 
educational loans of such individual. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE
AMOUNT.—The term ‘eligible 
amount’ means, with respect to an eligible individual 
who has entered into a contract under subsection 
(a), with respect to the aggregate principal and in-
terest on educational loans of such individual out-
standing on the date such individual began the serv-
ice described in such contract— 
‘‘(A) for each of the first two years of serv-
ice under such contract, 30 percent of such ag-
gregate principal and interest; and 
‘‘(B) for the third year, if any, of service 
under such contract, 25 percent of such aggre-
gate principal and interest. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 
individual’ means an individual who— 
‘‘(A) is a citizen, national, or lawful per-
manent resident of the United States; 
‘‘(B) has a degree from a graduate-level 
physician assistant education program; and 
‘‘(C) has contracted with a health care pro-
vider located in a health professional shortage 
area or a medically underserved area or with a 
health center to serve as a physician assistant 
for not less than 2 years. 
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‘‘(3) HEALTH CENTER.—The term ‘health cen-
ter’ has the meaning given such term in section 
330(a). 
‘‘(4) MEDICALLY
UNDERSERVED
AREA.—The 
term ‘medically underserved area’ has the meaning 
given the term ‘medically underserved community’ in 
section 799B(6). 
‘‘(5) 
HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL
SHORTAGE 
AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 332(a). 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2017 through 2021.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply with respect to service occurring 
on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. EXTENDING AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
TO SUPPORT FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND 
DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. 
Section 740 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 293d) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 
the following: ‘‘and each of the fiscal years 2017 
through 2021’’; 
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(2) in subsection (b), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 
the following: ‘‘and such sums as may be necessary 
for each of the fiscal years 2017 through 2021’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 
the following: ‘‘and each of the fiscal years 2017 
through 2021’’. 
SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF PRIMARY CARE TRAINING 
AND ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS. 
Section 747(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 293k(c)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ‘‘2014’’ 
the following: ‘‘and each of fiscal years 2017 
through 2021’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Fifteen’’ and 
inserting ‘‘At least 15’’. 
SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH ON PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 
EDUCATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall provide grants to eligible entities to 
fund eligible researchers to increase research on physician 
assistant education. 
(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a grant 
under this section shall submit to the Secretary an appli-
cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. 
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(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means an organization that— 
(A) is a non-profit organization; and 
(B) has demonstrated expertise in physi-
cian assistant education and faculty develop-
ment. 
(2) ELIGIBLE RESEARCHER.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble researcher’’ means, with respect to an eligible en-
tity, a researcher that— 
(A) has demonstrated expertise in physi-
cian assistant education and faculty develop-
ment; and 
(B) at such time and in such manner as 
such entity may require, provides such entity 
with a research proposal on improving physician 
assistant education and faculty development. 
(3) PHYSICIAN
ASSISTANT
EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘physician assistant education’’ means select-
ing, educating, and graduating students in accred-
ited graduate physician assistant educational pro-
grams. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
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necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 
2017 through 2021. 
Æ 
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