(2) For over 35 years, National Health Service 
Corps clinicians have expanded access to primary 
and preventive health care, dental care, mental 
health, and behavioral health services in underserved 
areas of the United States and have improved health 
outcomes among underserved populations. 
(3) The National Health Service Corps Scholar-
ship Program provides a predictable supply of clini-
cians who will pursue employment in primary care 
for underserved communities. Upon completion of 
their training, National Health Service Corps schol-
ars become salaried employees of organized systems 
of care in such underserved communities. 
(4) The National Health Service Corps Loan 
Repayment Program helps communities meet their 
immediate needs for health professionals by offering 
to pay off qualifying educational loans in exchange 
for 2 years of service in an underserved community. 
(5) A recent report in the Journal of the Amer-
ican Medical Association found that community 
health centers are facing 13 percent vacancies for 
family physician positions and 20.8 percent vacan-
cies for OB–GYN positions. The study cited heavy 
reliance on the National Health Service Corps and 
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recommended expanding the program in order to ad-
dress those needs. 
(6) Critical to the growth of new and existing 
health centers is having a sufficient supply of pri-
mary care health professionals to staff them. Cur-
rently, health centers rely on the National Health 
Service Corps for over 20 percent of their physician 
workforce. Yet, just over half of all Corps place-
ments are made to health centers, even though they 
are one of the strongest cords in the health care 
safety net. 
(7) Health facilities in rural areas, including 
community health centers and rural health clinics, 
face primary care vacancy rates higher than the na-
tional average, and are more heavily reliant on the 
National Health Service Corps to address those 
needs. 
(8) The number of new medical residents choos-
ing a primary care discipline as a medical specialty 
is declining, and the National Health Service Corps 
Scholarship Program and the National Health Serv-
ice Corps Loan Repayment Program provide an im-
portant incentive for students to choose to pursue a 
career in primary care. 
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SEC. 3. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS. 
(a) FUNDING.—To carry out the programs author-
ized under sections 331 through 338G of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d–254p), there are au-
thorized to be appropriated, and there are appropriated— 
(1) for fiscal year 2008, $131,500,000; 
(2) for fiscal year 2009, $175,000,000; 
(3) for fiscal year 2010, $200,000,000; 
(4) for fiscal year 2011, $225,000,000; and 
(5) for fiscal year 2012, $250,000,000. 
(b) ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONNEL.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 333(a)(3) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254f(a)(3)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(3)(A) In approving applications for assign-
ment of members of the Corps, the Secretary shall 
not discriminate against applications from entities 
that are not receiving Federal financial assistance 
under this Act. 
‘‘(B) In approving the applications described in 
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) give preference to applications in 
which a nonprofit entity or public entity shall 
provide a site to which Corps members may be 
assigned; and 
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‘‘(ii) give the highest preference to applica-
tions— 
‘‘(I) for entities described in clause (i) 
that are federally-qualified health centers 
as defined in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the 
Social 
Security 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1396d(l)(2)(B)); 
‘‘(II) or entities described in clause (i) 
that are rural health clinics; and 
‘‘(III) for entities described in clause 
(i) that primarily serve health disparity 
populations or medically underserved popu-
lations.’’. 
(2) PRIORITIES IN ASSIGNMENT OF CORPS PER-
SONNEL.—Section 333A of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 254f–1) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1), 
(2), and (3) as paragraphs (2), (3), and 
(4), respectively; and 
(ii) by inserting before paragraph (2) 
(as so redesignated) the following: 
‘‘(1) give preference to applications as set forth 
in subsection (a)(3) of such section;’’; and 
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(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’ each 
place such appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(a)(2)’’. 
(3) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
338I(c)(3)(B)(ii) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254q–1(c)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘section 333A(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
333A(a)(2)’’. 
(c) ELIMINATION OF 6-YEAR DEMONSTRATION RE-
QUIREMENT.—Section 332(a)(1) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)) is amended by striking 
‘‘Not earlier than 6 years’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘purposes of this section’’. 
Æ 
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