HR 1943 IH

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish scholarship and loan repayment programs regarding the provision of veterinary services in veterinarian shortage areas.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish scholarship and loan repayment programs regarding the provision of veterinary services in veterinarian shortage areas.

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 `Veterinary Health Enhancement Act'.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS REGARDING VETERINARY MEDICINE.

Subpart III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following section:

`SEC. 338M. SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS REGARDING VETERINARY MEDICINE.

`(a) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM- The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall establish a program of entering into agreements with students under which the Federal Government provides to the students scholarships for attending schools of veterinary medicine in consideration of the students agreeing to provide, for a period of time specified in the agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage areas.

`(b) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM- The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a program of entering into agreements with veterinarians under which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of time specified in the agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage areas in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service, not more than $35,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans of the veterinarians.

`(c) VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE AREAS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- For purposes of this section, the term `veterinarian shortage area' means any of the following:

`(A) An area in an urban or rural area (which need not conform to the geographic boundaries of a political subdivision and which is a rational area for the delivery of veterinary services) that the Secretary determines has a shortage of veterinarians.

`(B) A population group that the Secretary determines has such a shortage.

`(C) A public or nonprofit private medical facility or other public facility that the Secretary determines has such a shortage.

`(2) STATE PARTICIPATION- In designating a veterinarian shortage area in a State, the Secretary shall consult with the chief veterinary-medicine official of the State and with other appropriate entities in the State, including representatives of schools of veterinary medicine in the State; representatives of State members of professional associations regarding veterinary medicine; and representatives of large-animal veterinarians in the State.

`(d) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may approve an individual for participation in the program under subsection (a) or (b) only if (in addition to the requirements that apply under subsection (e)) the individual has been approved by the chief veterinary-medicine official of the State involved, after such official consulted with appropriate entities in the State regarding such approval, including representatives specified in subsection (c)(2).

`(2) STATE INVOLVED- For purposes of paragraph (1), the State involved with respect to an individual is the State described in subparagraph (A) or (B) (as applicable), as follows:

`(A) In the case of the program under subsection (a), the State in which the individual attends or will attend a school of veterinary medicine with a scholarship under the program.

`(B) In the case of the program under subsection (b), the State that contains the veterinarian shortage area for which the individual will provide veterinary services under the program.

`(e) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS-

`(1) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM- With respect to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established in section 338A, the provisions of this subpart that apply to such program shall, except as determined by the Secretary to be inconsistent with subsection (a), apply to the program established in subsection (a) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program.

`(2) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM- With respect to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in section 338B, the provisions of this subpart that apply to such program shall, except as determined by the Secretary to be inconsistent with subsection (b), apply to the program established in subsection (b) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

`(f) DEFINITION- For purposes of this section, the term `school of veterinary medicine' has the meaning given such term in section 799B.

`(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-

`(1) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM- For the purpose of carrying out this section with respect to the program under subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

`(2) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM- For the purpose of carrying out this section with respect to the program under subsection (b), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.'.