119-s632

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 632 Reported in Senate

    (RS) ]

<DOC>

 Calendar No. 74
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 632

 [Report No. 119-21]

To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health 
Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations 
 through half-time clinical practice, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 19, 2025

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Mullin) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
 Affairs

 May 12, 2025

 Reported by Ms. Murkowski without amendment

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health 
Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations 
 through half-time clinical practice, 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 ``IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN RECIPIENTS.

    (a) Indian Health Professions Scholarships.--

Section 104

    (b)

    (3) of 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1613a

    (b)

    (3) ) is 
amended by striking the paragraph designation and all that follows 
through the end of subparagraph
        (A) and inserting the following:
 ``

    (3)
        (A) The active duty service obligation under a written 
contract with the Secretary under 

section 338A of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l) that an individual has entered into under 
that section shall, if that individual is a recipient of an Indian 
Health Scholarship--
 ``
            (i) be met by full-time (as defined in 

section 331

    (j) of 
 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d

    (j) )) practice--
 ``
            (I) in the Service;
 ``
            (II) in a program conducted under a contract 
 entered into under the Indian Self-Determination and 
 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.);
 ``
            (III) in a program assisted under title V; or
 ``
            (IV) in the private practice of the applicable 
 profession if, as determined by the Secretary, in 
 accordance with guidelines issued by the Secretary, the 
 practice--
 ``

    (aa) is situated in a physician or other 
 health professional shortage area; and
 ``

    (bb) addresses the health care needs of a 
 substantial number of Indians; or
 ``
            (ii) be met by half-time (as defined in 

section 331

    (j) of 
 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d

    (j) )) practice in 
 a program described in any of subclauses
            (I) through
            (IV) of 
 clause
            (i) if the individual agrees, in writing--
 ``
            (I) to double the period of obligated service 
 that would otherwise be required if the individual were 
 satisfying the period of obligated service through 
 full-time (as so defined) practice; and
 ``
            (II) that if the individual fails to begin or 
 complete the period of obligated service described in 
 subclause
            (I) , the procedures described in 

section 108
            (l) (2) for determining damages for breach of 
 contract will be used after converting that period of 
 obligated service or service performed into its full-
 time equivalent.''.

    (b) Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.--

Section 108 of 
the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616a) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (f)

    (1)
        (B) , by striking clause
            (iii) and 
 inserting the following:
 ``
            (iii) to serve for a period of time 
 (referred to in this section as the `period of 
 obligated service') equal to--
 ``
            (I) 2 years, or a longer period 
 of time as the individual may agree to 
 serve, in the full-time (as defined in 
 

section 331

    (j) of the Public Health 
 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d

    (j) )) 
 clinical practice of the profession of 
 the individual in an Indian health 
 program to which the individual may be 
 assigned by the Secretary;
 ``
            (II) 4 years, or a longer period 
 of time as the individual may agree to 
 serve, in the half-time (as defined in 
 that section) clinical practice of the 
 profession of the individual in an 
 Indian health program to which the 
 individual may be assigned by the 
 Secretary, subject to the condition 
 that if the individual has agreed to 
 serve for a period longer than 2 years 
 of full-time (as so defined) service, 
 as described in subclause
            (I) , the 
 half-time (as so defined) service 
 obligation shall be the amount of time 
 required for the individual to complete 
 an equivalent amount of service on a 
 half-time (as so defined) basis; or
 ``
            (III) 2 years in the half-time 
 (as so defined) clinical practice of 
 the profession of the individual in an 
 Indian health program to which the 
 individual may be assigned by the 
 Secretary with a loan payment amount 
 equal to 50 percent of the amount that 
 would otherwise be payable for full-
 time (as so defined) service for that 
 same period of obligated service; and
 ``
            (iv) in the case of an individual 
 completing a period of obligated service 
 through half-time (as so defined) clinical 
 practice, that if the individual fails to begin 
 or complete that period of obligated service, 
 the procedures described in subsection
            (l) (2) for determining damages for breach of contract 
 under this section will be used after 
 converting the period of obligated service or 
 service performed into its full-time (as so 
 defined) equivalent;''; and

    (2) in subsection
            (l) (2) , in the undesignated matter 
 following subparagraph
            (D) , by inserting the following before 
 ``Amounts'': ``Periods of obligated service completed in half-
 time (as defined in 

section 331

    (j) of the Public Health Service 
 Act (42 U.S.C. 254d

    (j) )) clinical practice shall be converted 
 to their full-time (as defined in that section) equivalents for 
 purposes of determining damages for breach of contract under 
 this paragraph.''.
 Calendar No. 74

119th CONGRESS

 1st Session

 S. 632

 [Report No. 119-21]

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health 
Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations 
 through half-time clinical practice, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 May 12, 2025

 Reported without amendment