Title: Expanding Medical Education Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Expanding Medical Education Act of 2020
This bill permits the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award matching grants to institutions of higher education to establish medical schools in underserved areas (i.e., areas with populations of more than 1 million and no medical schools). HRSA must prioritize awards that (1) establish medical schools in areas with fewer than 200 actively practicing physicians per 100,000 residents, and (2) emphasize care for diverse and underserved populations in the curriculum. Among other purposes, grant funds may be used for constructing facilities, hiring faculty and staff, and recruiting medical students.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5654 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5654

     To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to 
 institutions of higher education for the establishment of schools of 
   medicine (or branch campuses) in underserved areas, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 17, 2020

   Mr. Costa (for himself, Mr. Cox of California, and Mr. Harder of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to 
 institutions of higher education for the establishment of schools of 
   medicine (or branch campuses) in underserved areas, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Medical Education Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR NEW SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.

    Subpart II of part C of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
is amended by inserting after section 749B of such Act (42 U.S.C. 293m) 
the following:

``SEC. 749C. NEW SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.

    ``(a) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 
the Health Resources and Services Administration, may award grants to 
institutions of higher education (including multiple institutions of 
higher education applying jointly) for the establishment of a school of 
medicine, or a branch campus of a school of medicine, in an area that--
            ``(1) is a combined statistical area with a population of 
        over 1,000,000, as of the July 1, 2018, according to the 
        estimate of population by the Bureau of the Census; and
            ``(2) has no school of medicine based in the area.
    ``(b) Priority.--In selecting grant recipients under this section, 
the Secretary shall give priority to institutions of higher education 
that--
            ``(1) propose to use the grant to establish a school of 
        medicine, or a branch campus of a school of medicine, in a 
        combined statistical area with fewer than 200 actively 
        practicing physicians per 100,000 residents according to the 
        medical board (or boards) of the State (or States) involved; 
        and
            ``(2) have a curriculum that emphasizes care for diverse 
        and underserved populations.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--The activities for which a grant under this 
section may be used include--
            ``(1) planning and constructing a new school of medicine or 
        branch campus described in subsection (a);
            ``(2) accreditation and planning activities for such new 
        school of medicine or branch campus;
            ``(3) hiring faculty and other staff to serve at such new 
        school of medicine or branch campus;
            ``(4) recruitment and enrollment of students at such new 
        school of medicine or branch campus;
            ``(5) supporting educational programs at such new school of 
        medicine or branch campus; and
            ``(6) other efforts that the Secretary may determine 
        further the development and expansion of a new school of 
        medicine or branch campus.
    ``(d) Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant under this section 
shall not exceed $10,000,000 for any fiscal year.
    ``(e) Matching Requirement.--The Secretary may not award a grant to 
an applicant under this section unless such applicant agrees that, with 
respect to costs to be incurred by the applicant in carrying out 
activities for which the grant was awarded, the applicant will 
contribute (directly or through donations from public or private 
entities) non-Federal contributions in cash or in kind, in an amount 
equal to not less than $1 for each $1 of Federal funds provided through 
the grant.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `branch campus' means a geographically 
        separate site at least 100 miles from the main campus of a 
        school of medicine where at least one student completes at 
        least 60 percent of the student's training leading to a degree 
        of doctor of medicine.
            ``(2) The term `institution of higher education' has the 
        meaning given to such term in section 101(a) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025, to remain available until expended.''.
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