,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eibd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #ah1       
#bjbj,mr4 ,mc,kinley 7for himself and   
,mr4 ,welch7 introduced the following   
bill2 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 physicians1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,specialty         
workforce in rural communities ,title   
,,vii of the ,public ,health ,service   
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bib et seq47 is    
amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating part ,g 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gie;j et seq47 as part  
,h2 and  7#b7 by inserting after part ,f
 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bie;h7 the following   
new part3  ,g ,specialty ,medicine      
,workforce in ,rural ,communities  #ghb4
 ,loan repayment program  7a7 ,in       
general ,the ,secretary1 acting through 

the ,administrator of the ,health       
,resources and ,services                
,administration1 shall carry out a      
program under which-- 7#a7 the          
,secretary enters into agreements with  
specialty medicine physicians to make   
payments in accordance with subsection  
7b7 on the principal of and interest on 
any eligible loans described in         
subsection 7c72 and  7#b7 the specialty 
medicine physicians each agree to       
complete a period of obligated service  
described in subsection 7d7 as a        
specialty medicine physician in the     
,united ,states in a rural community    
experiencing a shortage of specialty    
medicine physicians4  7b7 ,payments ,for
 each year of obligated service by a    
specialty medicine physician pursuant to
 an agreement under subsection 7a71 the 
,secretary shall make a payment to such 
physician as follows3 7#a7 ,service in  
shortage area ,the ,secretary shall     
pay-- 7,a7 for each year of obligated   
service by a specialty medicine         

physician pursuant to an agreement under
 subsection 7a71 #a_/f of the principal 
of and interest on each eligible loan of
 the physician which is outstanding on  
the date the physician began service    
pursuant to the agreement2 and  7,b7 for
 completion of the sixth and final year 
of such service1 the remainder of such  
principal and interest4  7#b7 ,maximum  
amount ,the total amount of payments    
under this section to any specialty     
medicine physician shall not exceed     
#bej1jjj4  7c7 ,eligible loans ,the     
loans eligible for repayment under this 
section are each of the following3 7#a7 
,any loan for education in specialty    
medicine4  7#b7 ,any ,federal ,direct   
,stafford ,loan1 ,federal ,direct ,,plus
 ,loan1 ,federal ,direct ,unsubsidized  
,stafford ,loan1 or ,federal ,direct    
,consolidation ,loan 7as such terms are 
used in section #dee of the ,higher     
,education ,act of #aife74  7#c7 ,any   
,federal ,perkins ,loan under part ,e of
 title ,i of the ,higher ,education ,act

 of #aife4  7#d7 ,any other ,federal    
loan as determined appropriate by the   
,secretary4  7d7 ,period of obligated   
service ,any specialty medicine         
physician receiving payments under this 
section as required by an agreement     
under subsection 7a7 shall agree to a   
#f-year commitment to full-time         
employment1 with no more than #a year   
passing between any #b years of covered 
employment1 as a specialty medicine     
physician in the ,united ,states in a   
rural community experiencing a shortage 
of specialty medicine physicians4  7e7  
,ineligibility for double benefits ,no  
borrower may1 for the same service1     
receive a reduction of loan obligations 
or a loan repayment under both-- 7#a7   
this section2 and  7#b7 any ,federally  
supported loan forgiveness program1     
including under section #cch;,b1        
#cch;,i1 or #hdf of this ,act1 or       
section #dbh;,j1 #dbh,l1 #dee7m71 or    
#dfj of the ,higher ,education ,act of  
#aife4  7f7 ,breach  7#a7 ,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 7a74  7#b7 ,limitation ,the  
failure by a specialty medicine         
physician to complete the full period of
 service obligated pursuant to such an  
agreement1 taken alone1 shall not       
constitute a breach of the agreement1 so
 long as the physician completed in good
 faith the years of service for which   
payments were made to the physician     
under this section4  7g7 ,reports to    
,congress ,not later than #e years after
 the date of enactment of this section1 
and not less than every other year      
thereafter through fiscal year #bjcj1   
the ,secretary shall report to ,congress
 on-- 7#a7 the practice location of     
physicians participating1 or who have   
participated1 in the loan repayment     
program under this section2 and  7#b7   
the impact of the loan repayment program
 under this section on the availability 

of specialty medicine services in the   
,united ,states in rural communities    
experiencing a shortage of specialty    
medicine physicians4  7h7 ,definition   
,in this section1 the term specialty    
medicine physician means a physician    
practicing in a specialty identified in 
the ,december #bjjh report of the       
,health ,resources and ,services        
,administration entitled ,the ,physician
 ,workforce3 ,projections and ,research 
into ,current ,issues ,affecting ,supply
 and ,demand as a specialty whose       
baseline projected demand exceeds its   
projected supply for the period of #bjje
 through #bjbj4  7i7 ,authorization of  
appropriations ,to carry out this       
section1 there are authorized to be     
appropriated such sums as may be        
necessary for fiscal years #bjba through
 #bjcj4  4