Expanding, Rebuilding, and Improving Access to Qualified Health Care Professionals in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Affected Areas Act

Bill: 109-hr-6395
Sponsor: Rep. Jefferson, William J. [D-LA-2]
Introduced: 2006-12-06 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Alabama
Authorization
Block grants
Building construction
Child health
Clinics
Continuing education
Department of Health and Human Services
Disaster relief
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Families
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Floods
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Higher education
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Labor and Employment
Louisiana
Maintenance and repair
Medical education
Minorities
Minorities in medicine
Minority education
Minority health
Mississippi
Public health personnel
Recruiting of employees
Scholarships
Social Welfare
Student loan funds
Texas
Trauma care

Summary:
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: 
Expanding, Rebuilding, and Improving Access to Qualified Health Care Professionals in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Affected Areas Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Public Health Workforce Scholarship Program to ensure an adequate supply of public health professionals in state and local public health agencies in areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita; and (2) the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program for individuals agreeing to work at a public health agency. Provides for an additional loan repayment incentive amount for working in a Hurricane Katrina or Rita priority service area.
 
Provides for grants to test, implement, and evaluate models of cultural competence training.
 
Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) assistance to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake education to enter a health profession; (2) assistance to schools for programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minorities; and (3) a loan repayment program for qualified health professionals that agree to conduct certain prevention activities. 
 
Allows the Secretary to make grants for scholarships to individuals changing careers to a health profession. Gives priority to individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and who seek to work in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita.
 
Requires the Secretary to make additional payments under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to states directly affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita for: (1) health services; (2) health professional recruitment, training, and retention programs; and (3) repair, renovation, and construction of health facilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Introduced in House