119-hr4681

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4681 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4681

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment 
 program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural 
 communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 23, 2025

 Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania (for himself and Ms. Ross) 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 a loan repayment 
 program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural 
 communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians, 
 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 ``Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural 
Care Act'' or the ``SPARC Act''.

SEC. 2. SPECIALTY MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS WORKFORCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

 Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq.) 
is amended--

    (1) by redesignating part G (42 U.S.C. 795j et seq.) as 
 part H; and

    (2) by inserting after part F (42 U.S.C. 295h) the 
 following new part:

 ``PART G--SPECIALTY MEDICINE WORKFORCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

``

SEC. 782. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

 ``

    (a) In General.--
 ``

    (1) Program for specialty medicine physicians.--The 
 Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health 
 Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a 
 program under which--
 ``
        (A) the Secretary enters into agreements with 
 specialty medicine physicians to make payments in 
 accordance with subsection

    (b) on the principal of and 
 interest on any eligible loans described in subsection
            (c) ; and
 ``
        (B) the specialty medicine physicians each agree 
 to complete a period of obligated service described in 
 subsection
            (d) as a specialty medicine physician in the 
 United States in a rural community experiencing a 
 shortage of specialty medicine physicians.
 ``

    (2) Program for non-physician specialty health care 
 providers.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 
 the Health Resources and Services Administration, may carry out 
 a program under which--
 ``
        (A) the Secretary enters into agreements with 
 non-physician specialty health care providers to make 
 payments in accordance with subsection

    (b) on the 
 principal of and interest on any eligible loans 
 described in subsection
            (c) ; and
 ``
        (B) the non-physician specialty health care 
 providers each agree to complete a period of obligated 
 service described in subsection
            (d) as a non-physician 
 specialty health care provider in the United States in 
 a rural community experiencing a shortage of such 
 providers.
 ``

    (b) Payments.--For each year of obligated service by a specialty 
medicine physician pursuant to an agreement under subsection

    (a)

    (1) or 
by a non-physician specialty health care provider pursuant to an 
agreement under subsection

    (a)

    (2) , the Secretary shall make a payment 
to such physician or provider as follows:
 ``

    (1) Service in shortage area.--The Secretary shall pay--
 ``
        (A) for each year of obligated service by a 
 specialty medicine physician or non-physician specialty 
 health care provider pursuant to an agreement under 
 paragraph

    (1) or

    (2) of subsection

    (a) , \1/6\ of the 
 principal of and interest on each eligible loan of the 
 physician or provider which is outstanding on the date 
 the physician or provider 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 specialty medicine physician or non-
 physician specialty health care provider 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 specialty medicine or 
 specialty health care.
 ``

    (2) Any Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS 
 Loan, 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 Obligated Service.--Any specialty medicine 
physician or non-physician specialty health care provider receiving 
payments under this section as required by an agreement under paragraph

    (1) or

    (2) of subsection

    (a) shall agree to a 6-year commitment to 
full-time employment, with no more than 1 year passing between any 2 
years of covered employment, as a specialty medicine physician or non-
physician specialty health care provider, as applicable, in the United 
States in a rural community experiencing a shortage of specialty 
medicine physicians or non-physician specialty health care providers, 
as applicable.
 ``

    (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 section; 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 paragraph

    (1) or

    (2) of subsection

    (a) .
 ``

    (2) Limitation.--The failure by a specialty medicine 
 physician or a non-physician specialty health care provider 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 physician or provider completed in 
 good faith the years of service for which payments were made to 
 the physician or provider under this section.
 ``

    (g) Special Rules for Non-Physician Specialty Health Care 
Providers.--Non-physician specialty health care providers participating 
in the program under this section are not eligible for other Federal 
loan forgiveness programs specific to health care providers. Not more 
than 15 percent of amounts made available to carry out this section for 
a fiscal year may be allocated to awards to non-physician specialty 
health care providers.
 ``

    (h) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 5 years after the date 
of enactment of this section, and not less than every other year 
thereafter through fiscal year 2033, the Secretary shall report to 
Congress on--
 ``

    (1) the practice location of special medicine physicians 
 and non-physician specialty health care providers 
 participating, or who have participated, in the loan repayment 
 program under this section; and
 ``

    (2) the impact of the loan repayment program under this 
 section on the availability of specialty medicine or specialty 
 health care services in the United States in rural communities 
 experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians or 
 non-physician specialty health care providers.
 ``
            (i) Data Updates.--The Administrator of the Health Resources and 
Services Administration shall update publicly available data on the 
supply of specialty medicine physicians and non-physician specialty 
health care providers, as appropriate.
 ``

    (j) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:
 ``

    (1) Non-physician specialty health care provider.--The 
 term `non-physician specialty health care provider' means a 
 health professional other than a physician who is licensed to 
 provide patient care other than primary care services.
 ``

    (2) Specialty medicine physician.--The term `specialty 
 medicine physician' means a physician practicing in an area of 
 medicine other than primary care.
 ``

    (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2025 through 2034.''.
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