Title: NMC Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
National Medical Corps Act or the NMC Act
This bill establishes a program to create pathways for community college students from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue careers in primary care medicine or psychiatry by awarding grants or contracts to medical schools, institutions of higher education, or other health or educational institutions (excluding nursing schools) that form consortia comprised of specified educational institutions and health care institutions.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9105 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9105

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the establishment 
 of the National Medical Corps Program to create pathway programs for 
  community college students to pursue premedical training and enter 
                medical school, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 30, 2022

 Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Chu, and Mr. Bera) 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 the establishment 
 of the National Medical Corps Program to create pathway programs for 
  community college students to pursue premedical training and enter 
                medical school, 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 ``National Medical Corps Act'' or the 
``NMC Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS PROGRAMS.

    Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 741A. NATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor, shall make grants 
to, and enter into contracts with, eligible entities for the purpose of 
establishing programs to assist community college students to pursue 
premedical training and enter medical school (referred to in this 
section as an `NMC Program', by addressing--
            ``(1) the shortage of primary care physicians and 
        psychiatrists in vulnerable and underserved communities; and
            ``(2) the widening disparities in access to care in such 
        communities.
    ``(b) Eligible Entity.--An entity is eligible to receive a grant or 
enter into a contract under this section if the entity is a school of 
medicine, an institution of higher education, or a public or private 
nonprofit health or educational institution (other than a school of 
nursing) that--
            ``(1) forms a consortium that includes, at a minimum--
                    ``(A) 3 community colleges in the region in which 
                the consortium serves;
                    ``(B) one 4-year public or private nonprofit 
                undergraduate institution in the region;
                    ``(C) one public or private nonprofit accredited 
                medical school located in a State;
                    ``(D) one primary care association or consortium of 
                community health centers;
                    ``(E) at least one community health center, 
                inclusive of federally qualified health centers, 
                federally qualified health center look-alikes, rural 
                health centers, migrant health centers, frontier health 
                centers, indian health service clinics, and free 
                clinics; and
                    ``(F) other such entities as considered appropriate 
                by the Secretary; and
            ``(2) has established, or commits to establish, a community 
        advisory board that is--
                    ``(A) comprised of local business, education, 
                health industry, and other community leaders to oversee 
                and guide the programmatic direction of the program; 
                and
                    ``(B) intended to guide the unique establishment of 
                regional partnerships and opportunities for students 
                along the pathway to support the accomplishment of its 
                targets for student outcomes.
    ``(c) Application; Selection.--
            ``(1) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant 
        under this section shall submit an application at such time and 
        in such manner as the Secretary may require. Such application 
        shall contain--
                    ``(A) the name of the entity selected to operate as 
                the lead entity of the consortium;
                    ``(B) documentation supporting the entity's 
                eligibility; and
                    ``(C) such other information as the Secretary may 
                require.
            ``(2) Selection.--The Secretary shall select, on a 
        competitive basis--
                    ``(A) 20 eligible entities in the first full 
                calendar year beginning on or after the date of the 
                enactment of this section; and
                    ``(B) 20 eligible entities in each of the 5 
                subsequent calendar years.
    ``(d) Conditions on Awards.--The recipient of a grant shall, as a 
condition on receiving such a grant agree--
            ``(1) that a student selected to participate in an NMC 
        Program (referred to in this section as a `National Medical 
        Corps Scholar' or an `NMC Scholar') shall be--
                    ``(A) a community college student who has completed 
                at least one semester of community college and is 
                intending to transfer to a 4-year college pre-medical 
                program with the intent to pursue a career in primary 
                care medicine or psychiatry;
                    ``(B) from an economically or educationally 
                disadvantaged background; and
                    ``(C) a citizen, national, or lawful permanent 
                resident of the United States;
            ``(2) to verify that each individual seeking to be selected 
        as an NMC Scholar--
                    ``(A) intends to pursue practice as a physician who 
                practices primary care or psychiatry;
                    ``(B) intends to serve in the National Health 
                Service Corps; or
                    ``(C) has been determined under subsection (f) to 
                be from an economically or educationally disadvantaged 
                background;
            ``(3) to provide to each NMC Scholar a student-identifying 
        marker prior to entering medical school and to require that the 
        NMC Scholar, as a condition on receipt of support, provides to 
        the grant recipient the National Provider Identifier of the NMC 
        Scholar when the Scholar enters medical school;
            ``(4) to select and support (through the provision of 
        scholarships and wrap around services) not fewer than 50 NMC 
        Scholars each year of the grant, selected from three or more of 
        the populations described in subsection (e);
            ``(5) to track the academic and career pathway of such NMC 
        scholars from community college through medical school;
            ``(6) to provide individualized guidance with respect to 
        pursuing an alternate career pathway to NMC scholars that elect 
        not to pursue a career as physicians in primary care or 
        psychiatry; and
            ``(7) to limit the amount of an award to an NMC Scholar in 
        a fiscal year to the costs of attendance for the applicable 
        school year.
    ``(e) Populations Described.--The populations described in this 
subsection are each of the following:
            ``(1) Individuals enrolled in 2-year community college 
        programs with the intention to transfer to a 4-year institution 
        of higher education.
            ``(2) Community college transfer students who are currently 
        enrolled in a 4-year institution of higher education with 
        intention to apply to medical school.
            ``(3) Individuals enrolled in medical school who--
                    ``(A) were previously enrolled for a period of at 
                least 1 year at a community college after completing 
                secondary school but before obtaining a bachelor's 
                degree; and
                    ``(B) intend to pursue training in primary care or 
                psychiatry to serve rural or underserved communities.
    ``(f) Economically or Educationally Disadvantaged Background.--To 
determine if a student seeking to be selected as an NMC Scholar is from 
an economically or educationally disadvantaged background, the 
recipient of a grant under this section shall--
            ``(1) first determine if such student is from an 
        economically disadvantaged background; and
            ``(2) if a student has been determined not to be from an 
        economically disadvantaged background, the recipient shall 
        evaluate whether the student is from a educationally 
        disadvantaged background.
    ``(g) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity selected to receive a grant 
under this section may use funds received through the grant to--
            ``(1) conduct outreach toward, and recruitment and 
        enrollment of, NMC Scholars;
            ``(2) plan, develop, and operate a program to support NMC 
        Scholars' career progression into medical school, including 
        providing advising, mentoring, academic supports for transfer, 
        medical school applications, and identifying and pursuing 
        extracurricular and work opportunities aligned with future 
        health careers, such as part-time employment in a health, 
        public health, or primary care-related position;
            ``(3) provide financial assistance in the form of 
        scholarships or stipends for NMC Scholars from community 
        college through entry to medical school;
            ``(4) coordinate NMC Program activities with other existing 
        Federal, State, local, and institutions resources, including 
        the Health Careers Opportunity program under section 736, area 
        health education centers under section 751, programs and 
        services for disabled students under subtitle A of title II of 
        the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Federal TRIO programs 
        under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of part A of title IV of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 et seq.);
            ``(5) implement data sharing, analysis, and the continuous 
        testing of data-informed practices, to foster a statewide 
        collaboration of mutual accountability for improvement, 
        consistent with applicable State and Federal law;
            ``(6) cover the costs associated with maintaining the 
        consortium and advisory board;
            ``(7) support training in community-based organizations, 
        such as community health centers;
            ``(8) develop a partnership agreement and support NMC 
        Scholars with one or more campus-based learning communities, 
        groups, or entities; and
            ``(9) implement and adopt premedical advising standards or 
        standardized guidelines as set out by the consortium lead, in 
        collaboration with consortium membership, including community 
        colleges, four-year undergraduate institutions, and 
        participating schools of medicine.
    ``(h) Priorities in Making Awards.--In awarding grants or contracts 
under this section, the Secretary may give priority to consortia that 
include at least one--
            ``(1) minority-serving institution, including a 
        historically Black college or university;
            ``(2) Hispanic-serving institution;
            ``(3) Tribal college or university;
            ``(4) Asian American and Pacific Islander serving 
        institution;
            ``(5) Native Hawaiian-serving institution; or
            ``(6) Native American-serving non-Tribal institution.
    ``(i) Coordination With NHSC.--Individuals selected as NMC Scholars 
shall receive priority consideration for an award under for National 
Health Service Corps Scholarship Program under section 338A and the 
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program under section 
338B.
    ``(j) Report to Secretary.-- Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this section and every calendar year thereafter, 
each consortium selected to receive a grant under this section shall 
submit to the Secretary a report on the following with respect to the 
preceding year:
            ``(1) The selection criteria and process used to ensure 
        that the members of the consortium and advisory board represent 
        the intended communities to be served and the demographics of 
        such members and advisory board.
            ``(2) A summary of the roles of the members of the 
        consortium and advisory board.
            ``(3) The selection criteria, process, and strategy used by 
        the consortium to recruit, engage, and select NMC Scholars.
            ``(4) With respect to the NMC Scholars participating in the 
        NMC Program--
                    ``(A) self-reported demographic data (including 
                race and ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender 
                identity, date of birth, English proficiency status, 
                fluency in other languages, disadvantaged (educational 
                or economic) background status, disability, the census 
                tract or current address, or other demographic data as 
                appropriate);
                    ``(B) the percentages of NMC Scholars who 
                successfully achieve transfer-level math and English by 
                the completion of their second year enrolled in a 
                community college, disaggregated by race and ethnicity 
                of student populations so enrolled in such a community 
                college;
                    ``(C) the rate of acceptance to participating 4-
                year institutions of higher education and 4-year 
                college pre-medical training programs for transfer 
                students applying from participating community 
                colleges;
                    ``(D) the rate of NMC scholars eligible to 
                transfer, or accepted to attend, a participating 4-year 
                institution of higher education after completing two 
                years, two and one-half years, or three or more years, 
                in special circumstances, of enrollment in a community 
                college.
                    ``(E) when available, career advancement data, 
                including--
                            ``(i) whether the scholar was accepted to a 
                        4-year institution of higher education, medical 
                        school, another health professions program, or 
                        another STEM professions program;
                            ``(ii) whether the scholar graduated from 
                        medical school, another health professions 
                        program, or another STEM professions program;
                            ``(iii) whether the scholar pursued a 
                        career in primary care, psychiatry, or another 
                        health profession in a rural or underserved 
                        setting;
                            ``(iv) the National Provider Identifier 
                        assigned to such student, as available; and
                            ``(v) such other information as determined 
                        to be appropriate by the Secretary.
            ``(5) An evaluation of the success of the NMC Program, 
        including with respect to--
                    ``(A) whether the program was able to support not 
                less than 50 students in the first year of 
                implementation of the program;
                    ``(B) the number of semesters in community college 
                each such student enrolled in, what type of college or 
                university the student was enrolled in, which degree 
                the student pursued, and which career pathway the 
                student is pursuing;
                    ``(C) whether the program developed a partnership 
                agreement with one or more campus-based learning 
                communities, groups, or entities, as specified in 
                subsection (g)(8); and
                    ``(D) whether and to what extent the program was 
                able to align its goals and equity strategies, and 
                maximize the use of available resources and funds, as 
                specified in subsection (d)(4).
    ``(k) Report to Congress.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 
2028, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration, shall submit an annual report to 
the Congress that--
            ``(1) summarizes the information submitted in the 
        evaluation and report under subsections (j) and (k);
            ``(2) describes the contracts, strategy, and goals shared 
        between the Secretary and each consortium receiving a grant 
        under this section;
            ``(3) includes data on the planned and actual use of funds 
        by the consortium and the Secretary in carrying out this 
        section;
            ``(4) assesses the goals and progress of the NMC Program, 
        including the potential impact of NMC Scholars on health care 
        access and quality; and
            ``(5) makes recommendations for improvements to the 
        program.
    ``(l) Privacy Protections.--In publishing data under this section, 
the Secretary shall take all necessary steps to protect the privacy of 
individuals whose information is included in such data, including--
            ``(1) complying with privacy protections comparable to 
        those applicable under the HIPAA privacy regulation (as defined 
        in section 1180(b)(3) of the Social Security Act) to covered 
        entities (as defined for purposes of such regulation);
            ``(2) not using or disclosing the information generated 
        pursuant to the program for any purpose other than carrying out 
        the program; and
            ``(3) not publishing or selling individually identifiable 
        information generated pursuant to the program nor transmitting 
        such data for purposes other than carrying out the program, 
        including not sharing such information with any local, State, 
        or Federal law enforcement agency.
    ``(m) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `State' means each State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of 
        the United States, and any other territory or possession of the 
        United States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe.
            ``(2) The term `educationally disadvantaged', with respect 
        to the background of a student seeking to be selected as an NMC 
        scholar, means that the student--
                    ``(A) is a member of a racial and ethnic minority 
                group (as defined in section 1707) that is under-
                represented in medicine;
                    ``(B) resides in a low-income community;
                    ``(C) is a first-generation college attendee;
                    ``(D) attended high school--
                            ``(i) in a health professional shortage 
                        area designated under section 332 or a 
                        medically underserved area (as defined in 
                        section 330I(a)) or in a rural setting (as 
                        defined by the Office of Rural Health Policy); 
                        or
                            ``(ii) with a low grade point average (2.0 
                        cumulative on a 4.0 scale), based on most 
                        recent annual data available;
                            ``(iii) based on the most recent annual 
                        data available, had either--
                                    ``(I) a low percentage of seniors 
                                receiving a high school diploma; or
                                    ``(II) a low percentage of 
                                graduates who go to college during the 
                                first year after graduation; or
                            ``(iv) has low per capita funding; or
                            ``(v) based on the most recent annual data 
                        available, a high rate of the enrolled students 
                        are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
            ``(3) The term `primary care' means, with respect to a 
        physician, practicing as a general practitioner, family 
        practice practitioner, general internist, pediatrician, 
        psychiatrist, or obstetrician or gynecologist.
    ``(n) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;
                    ``(B) $54,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
                    ``(C) $81,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
                    ``(D) $108,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and
                    ``(E) $135,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
            ``(2) Allocation among consortia.--Of the amount made 
        available under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary 
        shall allot not more than $1, 350,000 to each consortium.
            ``(3) Limitation on administrative expenses.--A consortium 
        may use not more than 30 percent of funds allocated to such 
        consortium for administrative expenses of the consortium in 
        carrying out an NMC Program.''.
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