National Institutes of Health Minority Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Act

National Institutes of Health Minority Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish a program of undergraduate scholarships for underrepresented minorities in academic programs for careers in professions needed by NIH in return for the scholarship recipients agreeing to serve as employees of NIH for a prescribed period.

Requires the NIH Director to carry out activities to facilitate the interest of the individuals in pursuing careers as employees of NIH.

Conditions the scholarship on approval by the NIH Director of the individual's academic program.

Directs the Secretary, through the NIH Director, to establish a program of contracts to repay the principal and interest of educational loans of underrepresented minority health professionals who have a substantial amount of educational loans relative to income in return for the health professionals conducting clinical research as employees of NIH for a prescribed period.

 
HR 5700 IH
101st CONGRESS
2d Session
 H. R. 5700
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a program of providing
undergraduate scholarships in order to provide for the availability of
professional skills needed by the National Institutes of Health, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 24, 1990
Mr. STOKES (for himself, Mr. HOYER, and Mr. TOWNS) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a program of providing
undergraduate scholarships in order to provide for the availability of
professional skills needed by the National Institutes of Health, 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 `National Institutes of Health Minority
  Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Act'.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM REGARDING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
NEEDED BY NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
  Part F of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288 et
  seq.) is amended by inserting after section 487B the following new section:
`SEC. 487C. UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM REGARDING EDUCATION OF MINORITIES
IN PROFESSIONS NEEDED BY NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES.
  `(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM-
  `(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National
  Institutes of Health, shall establish a program of entering into contracts
  with individuals described in paragraph (2) under which--
  `(A) the Director of NIH agrees to provide to the individuals scholarships
  for pursuing, as undergraduates at accredited institutions of higher
  education, academic programs appropriate for careers in professions needed
  by the National Institutes of Health;
  `(B) the individuals agree to serve as employees of the National Institutes
  of Health, for the period described in subsection (c), in positions that are
  needed by the National Institutes of Health and for which the individuals
  are qualified; and
  `(C) the individuals may be appointed for duty with the Service during the
  period they are receiving such scholarships without regard to the provisions
  of title 5, United States Code, relating to appointment and compensation.
  `(2) UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES- The individuals referred to in paragraph
  (1) are individuals who--
  `(A) are enrolled or accepted for enrollment as full-time undergraduates
  at accredited institutions of higher education; and
  `(B) are members of minority groups whose representation in the
  professions needed by the National Institutes of Health, expressed in
  terms of percentages, is less than the percentage of the general population
  constituted by the number of individuals who are members of the minority
  group.
  `(b) FACILITATION OF INTEREST OF STUDENTS IN CAREERS AT NATIONAL INSTITUTES
  OF HEALTH- In providing employment to individuals pursuant to contracts
  under subsection (a), the Director of NIH shall carry out activities
  to facilitate the interest of the individuals in pursuing careers as
  employees of the National Institutes of Health. Such activities shall
  include providing opportunities to question appropriate personnel of such
  Institutes regarding careers in the professions needed by the Institutes
  and opportunities to observe the professionals in the performance of their
  duties at the Institutes.
  `(c) PERIOD OF OBLIGATED SERVICE-
  `(1) DURATION OF SERVICE- For purposes of subsection (a), the period of
  service required to be provided as an employee of the National Institutes
  of Health is 12 months for each academic year for which the scholarship
  under such subsection is provided.
  `(2) SCHEDULE FOR SERVICE-
  `(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Director of NIH may not provide
  a scholarship under subsection (a) unless the individual applying for
  the scholarship agrees that, in serving as an employee of the National
  Institutes of Health for the period of service required pursuant to such
  subsection, the individual will--
  `(i) serve as such an employee full-time for not less than 10 consecutive
  weeks of each year during which the individual is attending the educational
  institution involved;
  `(ii) begin serving full-time as such an employee not later than 60 days
  after obtaining the educational degree involved; and
  `(iii) upon commencing employment pursuant to clause (ii), consecutively
  serve the remainder of the period of service.
  `(B) The Director of NIH may defer the obligation of an individual to provide
  a period of service under subsection (a), if the Director determines that
  such a deferral is justified.
  `(3) CERTAIN PAYMENTS REGARDING UNDERGRADUATE SERVICE- In the case of
  any period of service to the National Institutes of Health provided by an
  individual pursuant to paragraph (2)(A)(i), the Director of NIH may make
  payments to the individual for all or part of the costs of--
  `(A) traveling to the National Institutes of Health in order to begin such
  a period of service and traveling from such Institutes at the conclusion
  of the period; and
  `(B) subsistence during the period of service.
  `(4) EMPLOYMENT UPON COMPLETION OF OBLIGATED SERVICE- Upon completion of
  the obligated service prescribed by subsection (a), an individual may be
  appointed to a position in the National Institutes of Health without regard
  to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to appointment.
  `(d) PROVISIONS REGARDING SCHOLARSHIP-
  `(1) APPROVAL OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM- The Director of NIH may not provide a
  scholarship under subsection (a) for an academic year unless--
  `(A) the individual applying for the scholarship has submitted to the
  Director a proposed academic program for the year and the Director has
  approved the program; and
  `(B) the individual agrees that the program will not be altered without
  the approval of the Director.
  `(2) ACADEMIC STANDING-
  `(A) The Director of NIH may not provide a scholarship under subsection
  (a) for an academic year unless the individual applying for the scholarship
  agrees to maintain an acceptable level of academic standing, as determined
  by the educational institution involved in accordance with criteria issued
  by the Director.
  `(B) The Director of NIH shall issue criteria for purposes of subparagraph
  (A).
  `(3) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT- The Director of NIH may not provide a scholarship
  under subsection (a) for an academic year in an amount exceeding $10,000.
  `(4) AUTHORIZED USES- A scholarship provided under subsection (a)--
  `(A) may be expended only for tuition expenses, other reasonable educational
  expenses, and reasonable living expenses incurred in attending the school
  involved; and
  `(B) may not, for any year of such attendance for which the scholarship
  is provided, provide an amount exceeding the total amount required for
  the year for the expenses specified in subparagraph (A).
  `(5) CONTRACT REGARDING DIRECT PAYMENTS TO INSTITUTION- In the case of
  an institution of higher education with respect to which a scholarship
  under subsection (a) is provided, the Director of NIH may enter into a
  contract with the institution under which the amounts provided in the
  scholarship for tuition and other educational expenses are paid directly
  to the institution. Payments to the institution under the contract may be
  made without regard to section 3324 of title 31, United States Code.
  `(e) PENALTIES FOR BREACH OF SCHOLARSHIP CONTRACT- The Director of NIH
  shall establish appropriate penalties for individuals who breach their
  scholarship contracts.
  `(f) REQUIREMENT OF APPLICATION- The Director of NIH may not provide a
  scholarship under subsection (a) unless an application for the scholarship
  is submitted to the Director and the application is in such form, is made
  in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and information
  as the Director determines to be necessary to carry out this section.
  `(g) AVAILABILITY OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Amounts appropriated
  for a fiscal year for scholarships under this section shall remain available
  until the expiration of the second year beginning after the fiscal year
  for which the amounts were appropriated.'.
SEC. 3. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
  Title IV of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 2 of this
  Act, is amended by inserting after section 487A the following new section:
`SEC. 487D. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FROM MINORITY CLINICAL RESEARCHERS.
  `(a) IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAM-
  `(1) LIMITATION- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
  the National Institutes of Health Minority Scholarship and Loan Repayment
  Program Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of NIH shall,
  subject to paragraph (2), establish and implement a program of entering into
  contracts with appropriately qualified health professionals who are members
  of underrepresented minority groups (as defined in section 487C(a)(2)(B))
  under which such health professionals agree to conduct clinical research
  as employees of the National Institutes of Health in consideration of
  the Federal Government agreeing to pay, for each year of such service,
  not more than $20,000 of the principal and interest of the educational
  loans of the health professionals.
  `(2) LIMITATION- The Director of NIH may not enter into a contract with
  a health professional pursuant to paragraph (1) unless such professional
  has a substantial amount of education loans relative to income.
  `(3) SERVICE PAYBACK AND DEFAULT PENALTY PROVISIONS- The Director of NIH
  shall develop appropriate service payback and default penalty provisions.
  `(b) AVAILABILITY OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Amounts appropriated
  for a fiscal year for contracts under subsection (a) shall remain available
  until the expiration of the second year beginning after the fiscal year
  for which the amounts were appropriated.'.