Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2019
This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to establish a loan-repayment program for mental-health professionals who work in designated workforce-shortage areas.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2500
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment
program for mental health professionals to relieve workforce shortages,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 18, 2019
Ms. Harris (for herself and Mr. Gardner) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment
program for mental health professionals to relieve workforce shortages,
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 ``Mental Health Professionals
Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN
SHORTAGE.
Title VII of the Public Health Service Act is amended--
(1) by redesignating part G (42 U.S.C. 295j et seq.) as
part H; and
(2) by inserting after part F (42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) the
following:
``PART G--MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
``SEC. 783. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN
WORKFORCE SHORTAGES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a
program under which--
``(1) the Secretary enters into agreements with individuals
to make payments in accordance with subsection (b) on the
principal of and interest on any eligible loan; and
``(2) the individuals each agree to complete a period of
service in a mental health professional shortage area.
``(b) Payments.--For each year of obligated service by an
individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall make a payment to such individual as follows:
``(1) Service in a shortage area.--The Secretary shall
pay--
``(A) for each year of obligated service by an
individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection
(a), \1/6\ of the principal of and interest on each
eligible loan of the individual which is outstanding on
the date the individual began service pursuant to the
agreement; and
``(B) for completion of the sixth and final year of
such service, the remainder of such principal and
interest.
``(2) Maximum amount.--The total amount of payments under
this section to any individual shall not exceed $250,000.
``(c) Eligible Loans.--The loans eligible for repayment under this
section are each of the following:
``(1) Any loan for education in mental health or a related
field leading to a master's degree, leading to a doctoral
degree, or consisting of post-doctoral study.
``(2) Any Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS
Loan, or Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or Federal
Direct Consolidation Loan (as such terms are used in section
455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965).
``(3) Any Federal Perkins Loan under part E of title I of
the Higher Education Act of 1965.
``(4) Any other Federal loan as determined appropriate by
the Secretary.
``(d) Period of Service.--The period of service required by an
agreement under subsection (a) shall consist of up to 6 years of full-
time employment, with no more than one year passing between any two
years of covered employment, as a mental health professional in the
United States in a mental health professional shortage area.
``(e) Ineligibility for Double Benefits.--No borrower may, for the
same service, receive a reduction of loan obligations or a loan
repayment under both--
``(1) this subsection; and
``(2) any federally supported loan forgiveness program,
including under section 338B, 338I, or 846 of this Act, or
section 428J, 428L, 455(m), or 460 of the Higher Education Act
of 1965.
``(f) Breach.--
``(1) Liquidated damages formula.--The Secretary may
establish a liquidated damages formula to be used in the event
of a breach of an agreement entered into under subsection (a).
``(2) Limitation.--The failure by an individual to complete
the full period of service obligated pursuant to such an
agreement, taken alone, shall not constitute a breach of the
agreement, so long as the individual completed in good faith
the years of service for which payments were made to the
individual under this section.
``(g) Additional Criteria.--The Secretary--
``(1) may establish such criteria and rules to carry out
this section as the Secretary determines are needed and in
addition to the criteria and rules specified in this section;
and
``(2) shall give notice to the committees specified in
subsection (h) of any criteria and rules so established.
``(h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan
Repayment Act of 2019, and every other year thereafter, the Secretary
shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate a report on--
``(1) the number and location of borrowers who have
qualified for loan repayments under this section; and
``(2) the impact of this section on the availability of
mental health services in mental health professional shortage
areas.
``(i) Definition.--In this section:
``(1) The term `mental health professional' means a full-
time job (including a fellowship) where the primary intent and
function of the job is the direct treatment or recovery support
of patients with or in recovery from a mental health disorder,
such as a physician (MD or DO), psychiatric nurse, social
worker, marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor,
occupational therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, child and
adolescent psychiatrist, or neurologist.
``(2) The term `mental health professional shortage area'
means--
``(A) an area designated under section 332 with
respect to a shortage of mental health professionals;
or
``(B) any facility, program, center, or clinic as
determined appropriate by the Secretary for purposes of
this section because of a shortage of mental health
professionals, including private physician practices
and other medical facilities designated under section
332(a) as having such a shortage.
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2020 through 2029.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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