Federal Research Agencies Minority Scholarship and Loan Repayment Act

Federal Research Agencies Minority Scholarship and Loan Repayment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to establish an undergraduate scholarship program and a health professional educational loan repayment program for underrepresented minorities in professions needed by certain Federal health agencies.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish such programs for each of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control (the specified health agencies).

Requires, under the undergraduate scholarship program, that the individual recipients: (1) pursue academic programs appropriate for careers in professions needed by the agency involved; and (2) agree to serve as employees of such agency for 12 months for each academic year of the scholarship. Requires such service to be performed full-time: (1) for at least ten consecutive weeks of each year during attendance at the educational institution involved; and (2) not later than 60 days after obtaining the educational degree involved, begin and serve consecutively the remainder of the obligated period. Authorizes the head of the agency involved to defer such service obligation.

Authorizes certain travel and subsistence payments for undergraduate service. Allows appointment of the individual, while receiving a scholarship or performing obligated service, to an agency position without regard to specified Federal civil service law relating to appointment of Federal employees. Sets forth scholarship provisions for approval of academic program, academic standing, limitation of amount, authorized uses, and contracts for direct payments to the institution. Directs agency heads to establish appropriate penalties for individuals who breach scholarship contracts. Sets forth provisions for application requirements and funding availability.

Sets forth provisions for general authority regarding participation of minorities in research at the specified health agencies. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS, with respect to such agencies, to conduct or support programs to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities among scientists who conduct biomedical or behavioral research, including programs for recruitment into such fields, training in conducting such research, and increasing their number conducting research at the agency involved. Directs the Secretary to administer such programs acting through the agency heads.

Directs the Secretary of HHS, in carrying out such programs to increase minority participation in such research, to establish the aforementioned educational loan repayment program for each of the specified agencies. Requires, under such program, that appropriately qualified health professionals: (1) be members of a minority underrepresented among scientists conducting biomedical or behavioral research; (2) have a substantial amount of educational loans relative to income; and (3) agree to conduct such research as employees of the agency involved in consideration of the Federal Government's paying, for each year of such service, up to $20,000 of the principal and interest of such loans. Directs the agency head to develop appropriate service payback and default penalty provisions. Sets forth funding availability provisions.

Directs the Secretary, under PHSA provisions for National Research Service Awards, to provide contracts for the programs of scholarships and loan repayments established by this Act. Limits the aggregate number of such contracts during FY 1992 through 1994 to: (1) 35 for the National Institutes of Health; (2) ten for the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration; and (3) five for the Centers for Disease Control.

Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 for the already-established PHSA program of National Research Service Awards to individuals and grants to institutions, and for the minority scholarship and loan repayment programs established by this Act.

 
HR 2000 IH
102d CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 2000
To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to providing educational
assistance to certain minorities in consideration of the individuals serving
as employees of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse,
and Mental Health Administration, or the Centers for Disease Control.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 1991
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 with respect to providing educational
assistance to certain minorities in consideration of the individuals serving
as employees of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse,
and Mental Health Administration, or the Centers for Disease Control.
  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 `Federal Research Agencies Minority Scholarship
  and Loan Repayment Act'.
SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS REGARDING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
NEEDED BY CERTAIN FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES.
  Part F of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288 et
  seq.) is amended by inserting after section 487A the following new sections:
`UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS REGARDING EDUCATION OF MINORITIES IN
PROFESSIONS NEEDED BY CERTAIN FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES
  `SEC. 487B. (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAMS-
  `(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to section 487(a)(1)(C), the Secretary shall,
  for each of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse,
  and Mental Health Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control,
  establish a program of entering into contracts with individuals described
  in paragraph (2) under which--
  `(A) the Secretary 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
  agency involved; and
  `(B) the individuals agree to serve as employees of such agency, for the
  period described in subsection (c), in positions that are needed by the
  agency and for which the individuals are qualified.
  `(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 any minority group whose representation in the
  professions needed by the agency involved, 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.
  `(3) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAMS-
  `(A) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the Director
  of the National Institutes of Health in the case of the program established
  under paragraph (1) for such Institutes. For purposes of this section,
  the term `agency involved' means the agency referred to in the preceding
  sentence in the case of the program carried out pursuant to such sentence
  by the head of the agency.
  `(B) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the
  Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration
  in the case of the program established under paragraph (1) for such
  Administration.  For purposes of this section, the term `agency involved'
  means the agency referred to in the preceding sentence in the case of the
  program carried out pursuant to such sentence by the head of the agency.
  `(C) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the Director
  of the Centers for Disease Control in the case of the program established
  under paragraph (1) for such Centers. For purposes of this section, the term
  `agency involved' means the agency referred to in the preceding sentence
  in the case of the program carried out pursuant to such sentence by the
  head of the agency.
  `(b) FACILITATION OF INTEREST OF STUDENTS IN CAREERS AT RELEVANT AGENCY- In
  providing employment to individuals pursuant to contracts under subsection
  (a), the head of the agency involved shall carry out activities to facilitate
  the interest of the individuals in pursuing careers as employees of the
  agency.  Such activities shall include providing opportunities to question
  appropriate personnel of the agency regarding careers in the professions
  needed by the agency and opportunities to observe the professionals in
  the performance of their duties at the agency.
  `(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 agency involved
  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 head of the agency involved may not
  provide a scholarship under subsection (a) unless the individual applying
  for the scholarship agrees that, in serving as an employee of the agency
  in satisfaction of the requirement of such subsection regarding a period
  of service, 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 head of the agency involved may defer the obligation of an
  individual to provide a period of service under subsection (a), if the
  head determines that such a deferral is justified.
  `(3) CERTAIN PAYMENTS REGARDING UNDERGRADUATE SERVICE- In the case of
  any period of service to the agency involved provided by an individual
  pursuant to paragraph (2)(A)(i), the head of the agency may make payments
  to the individual for all or part of the costs of--
  `(A) traveling to the agency in order to begin such a period of service
  and traveling from the agency at the conclusion of the period; and
  `(B) subsistence during the period of service.
  `(4) CERTAIN PROVISIONS REGARDING EMPLOYMENT DURING AND AFTER COMPLETION OF
  OBLIGATED SERVICE- During any period in which an individual is receiving
  a scholarship or performing obligated service for purposes of subsection
  (a), and upon completion of such service, the individual may be appointed
  to a position at the agency involved without regard to the provisions of
  title 5, United States Code, relating to appointment.
  `(d) PROVISIONS REGARDING SCHOLARSHIP-
  `(1) APPROVAL OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM- The head of the agency involved may
  not provide a scholarship under subsection (a) for an academic year unless--
  `(A) the individual applying for the scholarship has submitted to the head
  of the agency academic program for the year and the head has approved the
  program; and
  `(B) the individual agrees that the program will not be altered without
  the head of the agency.
  `(2) ACADEMIC STANDING-
  `(A) The head of the agency involved 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 head of the agency.
  `(B) The head of the agency involved shall issue criteria for purposes of
  subparagraph (A).
  `(3) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT- The head of the agency involved 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 head of the agency involved 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 head of the agency
  involved shall establish appropriate penalties for individuals who breach
  their scholarship contracts.
  `(f) REQUIREMENT OF APPLICATION- The head of the agency involved may not
  provide a scholarship under subsection (a) unless an application for the
  scholarship is submitted to the head and the application is in such form,
  is made in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and
  information as the head 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.
`GENERAL AUTHORITY REGARDING PARTICIPATION OF MINORITIES IN RESEARCH AT
CERTAIN FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES
  `SEC. 487C. (a) IN GENERAL-
  `(1) AUTHORITY FOR PROGRAMS- The Secretary may, with respect to each of the
  National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health
  Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control, conduct or support
  programs to increase the representation of minorities among scientists
  who conduct biomedical or behavioral research. Such programs may include
  programs--
  `(A) to recruit minorities into the fields of biomedical and behavioral
  research;
  `(B) to train minorities in the conduct of such research; and
  `(C) to increase the number of minorities conducting research at the
  agency involved.
  `(2) UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES- Paragraph (1) may be carried out only
  in the case of individuals who are members of any minority group whose
  representation among scientists conducting biomedical or behavioral
  research, 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.
  `(3) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAMS-
  `(A) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the Director
  of the National Institutes of Health in the case of any program established
  under this section for such Institutes. For purposes of this section,
  the term `agency involved' means the agency referred to in the preceding
  sentence in the case of any program carried out pursuant to such sentence
  by the head of the agency.
  `(B) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the
  Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration
  in the case of any program established under this section. For purposes
  of this section, the term `agency involved' means the agency referred to
  in the preceding sentence in the case of any program carried out pursuant
  to such sentence by the head of the agency.
  `(C) The Secretary shall carry out this section acting through the Director
  of the Centers for Disease Control in the case of any program established
  under this section for such Centers. For purposes of this section, the term
  `agency involved' means the agency referred to in the preceding sentence
  in the case of any program carried out pursuant to such sentence by the
  head of the agency.
  `(b) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM-
  `(1) IN GENERAL- In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall,
  for each of the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse,
  and Mental Health Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control,
  establish a program of entering into contracts with appropriately qualified
  health professionals who are individuals described in subsection (a)(2)
  under which, subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the health professionals
  agree to conduct biomedical or behavioral research as employees of the
  agency involved 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) REQUIREMENT REGARDING INCOME- The head of the agency involved may
  not enter into a contract with a health professional pursuant to paragraph
  (1) unless such professional has a substantial amount of educational loans
  relative to income.
  `(3) SERVICE PAYBACK AND DEFAULT PENALTY PROVISIONS- The head of the
  agency involved shall develop appropriate service payback and default
  penalty provisions regarding contracts entered into under paragraph (1).
  `(4) FUNDING- This subsection shall be carried out subject to section
  487(a)(1)(C). Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year for contracts under
  paragraph (1) shall remain available until the expiration of the second year
  beginning after the fiscal year for which the amounts were appropriated.'.
SEC. 3. FUNDING.
  (a) IN GENERAL- Section 487(a)(1) of the Public Health Services Act (42
  U.S.C. 288(a)(1)) is amended--
  (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking `and' after the semicolon at the end
  of clause (iv);
  (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting
  `; and'; and
  (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
  `(C) provide contracts for scholarships and loan repayments in accordance
  with sections 487B and 487C(b), subject to--
  `(i) providing not more than an aggregate 35 such contracts through the
  Director of the National Institutes of Health during the fiscal years 1992
  through 1994; and
  `(ii) providing not more than an aggregate 10 such contracts through the
  Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration
  during such fiscal years; and
  `(iii) providing not more than an aggregate 5 such contracts through the
  Director of the Centers for Disease Control during such fiscal years.'.
  (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- The first sentence of section 487(d)
  of the Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 288(d)) is amended--
  (1) by striking `For the purpose' and all that follows through `such Awards,'
  and inserting the following: `For the purpose of carrying out subsection
  (a)(1),';
  (2) by striking `1989 and' and inserting `1989,'; and
  (3) by inserting before the period the following: `, and such sums as may
  be necessary for fiscal year 1992'.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
  The amendments made by this Act shall take effect October 1, 1991, or upon
  the date of the enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later.