retary under this section, who are serving as full- 
time employees of a State or local public health 
agency, or who are in the last year of public health 
workforce academic preparation, shall not be count-
ed against any employment ceiling affecting the De-
partment or any other Federal agency. 
‘‘(h) BREACH
OF CONTRACT.—An individual who 
fails to comply with the contract entered into under sub-
section (d) shall be subject to the same financial penalties 
as provided for under section 338E for breaches of loan 
repayment contracts under section 338B. 
‘‘SEC. 775–2. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS IN 
HURRICANE KATRINA AND RITA AFFECTED 
AREAS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of operating 
Hurricane Katrina and Rita State and local public health 
workforce loan repayment programs, the Secretary shall 
award a grant to any public health agency, organization, 
or association that receives public health preparedness co-
operative agreements, or other successor cooperative 
agreements, from the Department of Health and Human 
Services. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A State or local loan repay-
ment program operated with a grant under subsection (a) 
shall incorporate all provisions of the Hurricanes Katrina 
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and Rita Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Pro-
gram under section 775–1, including the ability to des-
ignate Hurricane Katrina and Rita priority service areas 
within the relevant political jurisdiction. 
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The head of the State or 
local office that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall 
be responsible for contracting and operating the loan re-
payment program under the grant. 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to obligate or limit any State or 
local government entity from implementing independent or 
supplemental public health workforce development pro-
grams within their borders. 
‘‘SEC. 775–3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘(a) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—For the purpose of 
carrying out section 775, there is authorized to be appro-
priated $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 through 
2013. 
‘‘(b) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—For the purpose of car-
rying out sections 775–1 and 775–2, there is author-
ized to be appropriated $225,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each 
of fiscal years 2009 through 2013. 
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‘‘(2) ALLOCATION.—Not less than 80 percent 
of the amount appropriated under paragraph (1) in 
each fiscal year shall be made available to carry out 
section 775–2.’’. 
SEC. 4. CULTURAL COMPETENCE TRAINING FOR HEALTH 
CARE AND EMERGENCY RELIEF PROFES-
SIONALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the 
Health Resources and Services Administration, the Dep-
uty Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, and the Di-
rector of the National Center on Minority Health and 
Health Disparities, shall award grants to eligible entities 
to test, implement, and evaluate models of cultural com-
petence training, including continuing education, for 
health care and emergency relief providers. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under subsection (a), an entity shall— 
(1) be an academic medical center, a health 
center or clinic, a hospital, a health plan, a health 
system, or a health care professional guild (including 
a mental health care professional guild); 
(2) partner with a minority serving institution, 
minority professional association, or community- 
based organization representing minority popu-
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lations, in addition to a research institution to carry 
out activities under this grant; and 
(3) prepare and submit to the Secretary an ap-
plication at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may re-
quire. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2008 through 2013. 
SEC. 5. HEALTH CAREERS OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM. 
(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
diversify the health care workforce by increasing the num-
ber of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in the 
health and allied health professions by enhancing the aca-
demic skills of students from disadvantaged backgrounds 
and supporting them in successfully entering, competing 
in, and graduating from health professions training pro-
grams. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
740(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
293d(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘there is authorized to 
be appropriated $29,400,000’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘2002’’ and inserting ‘‘there are authorized to be appro-
priated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums 
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as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 through 
2013’’. 
SEC. 6. PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH PROFES-
SIONS 
EDUCATION 
FOR 
UNDERREP-
RESENTED MINORITIES. 
(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
diversify the health care workforce by supporting pro-
grams of excellence in designated health professions 
schools that demonstrate a commitment to under rep-
resented minority populations with a focus on minority 
health issues, cultural and linguistic competence, and 
eliminating health disparities. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATION.—Section 
736(h)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
293(h)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
For the purpose of making grants under subsection 
(a), there are authorized to be appropriated 
$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2009 
through 2013.’’. 
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SEC. 7. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; RECRUITMENT 
AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM 
DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 331(b) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(b)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall ensure that the individuals 
with respect to whom activities under paragraphs (1) and 
(2) are carried out include individuals from disadvantaged 
backgrounds, including activities carried out to provide 
health professions students with information on the Schol-
arship and Loan Repayment Programs.’’. 
(b) ASSIGNMENT OF CORPS PERSONNEL.—Section 
333(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254f(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) In assigning Corps personnel under this section, 
the Secretary shall give preference to applicants who re-
quest assignment to a Federally-qualified health center (as 
defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act) or 
to a provider organization that has a majority of patients 
who are minorities or individuals from low-income families 
(families with a family income that is less than 200 per-
cent of the poverty line, as defined by the Office of Man-
agement and Budget and revised annually in accordance 
with section 673(2) of the Community Services Block 
Grant Act).’’. 
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SEC. 8. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM OF CENTERS FOR DIS-
EASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 
Section 317F(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247b–7(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘1994,’’; and 
(2) by inserting before the period the following: 
‘‘$750,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2009 
through 2013’’. 
SEC. 9. MID-CAREER HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP 
PROGRAM. 
Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 742. MID-CAREER HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLAR-
SHIP PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 
to eligible schools for awarding scholarships to eligible in-
dividuals to attend the school involved, for the purpose of 
enabling the individuals to make a career change from a 
non-health profession to a health profession. 
‘‘(b) EXPENSES.—Amounts awarded as a scholarship 
under this section— 
‘‘(1) subject to paragraph (2), may be expended 
only for tuition expenses, other reasonable edu-
cational expenses, and reasonable living expenses in-
curred in the attendance of the school involved; and 
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‘‘(2) may be expended for stipends to eligible 
individuals for the enrolled period at eligible schools, 
except that such a stipend may not be provided to 
an individual for more than 4 years, and such a sti-
pend may not exceed $35,000 per year (notwith-
standing any other provision of law regarding the 
amount of stipends). 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: — 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE
SCHOOL.—The term ‘eligible 
school’ means a school of medicine, osteopathic med-
icine, dentistry, nursing (as defined in section 801), 
pharmacy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary 
medicine, public health, chiropractic, or allied health, 
a school offering a graduate program in mental and 
behavioral health practice, or an entity providing 
programs for the training of physician assistants. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 
individual’ means an individual who has obtained a 
secondary school diploma or its recognized equiva-
lent. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In providing scholarships to eligible 
individuals, eligible schools shall give priority to individ-
uals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and seek 
to work in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita. 
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‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 
such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2008 through 2013.’’. 
SEC. 10. EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND RESCUE SERVICES 
FOR CHILDREN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1910(a) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300w–9(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘may make grants to States or 
accredited schools of medicine in States to support 
a program of demonstration projects for the expan-
sion and improvement of emergency medical services 
for children who need treatment for trauma or crit-
ical care’’ and inserting ‘‘may make grants to, or 
enter into contracts with, States, local government 
entities, Indian tribes, accredited schools of medi-
cine, and nonprofit children’s hospitals to improve 
emergency medical services for children who need 
treatment for trauma or critical care, including in-
jury prevention activities and data collection’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘3-year’’ and inserting ‘‘4-year’’; 
and 
(3) by striking ‘‘4th’’ and inserting ‘‘5th’’. 
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(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub-
section (d) of section 1910 of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 300w–9) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ before such sums; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘$65,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2008 through 2011’’ before the period at 
the end. 
SEC. 11. BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES FOR SOCIAL SERVICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 2003 
and paragraphs (1) and (4) of section 2005(a) of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397b, 1397d(a)), the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services shall make addi-
tional payments under title XX of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.) to States directly affected by 
Hurricane Katrina or Rita for health services (including 
mental health services); for health professional recruit-
ment, training, and retention programs; and for repair, 
renovation, and construction of health facilities (including 
mental health facilities). 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $250,000,000 
for fiscal year 2008. 
(2) ALLOCATION.—Of the amount appropriated 
pursuant to paragraph (1)— 
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(A) 25 percent shall be for additional pay-
ments under this section to Mississippi; and 
(B) 75 percent shall be for additional pay-
ments under this section to Louisiana. 
Æ 
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