Loan Repayment Program For Health Disparities Research
Public Law 106-525 (The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000) amended the Public Health Services Act (PHS) (42 USC 287c-33) to add Section 485G
“SEC. 103. Extramural Loan Repayment Program For Minority Health Disparities Research
“Subpart 6 of part E of title IV of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 102 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following section:
“SEC. 485G. <<NOTE: 42 USC 287c-33.>>
Loan Repayment Program For Minority Health Disparities Research.
“(a) In General.-- <<NOTE: Contracts.>> The Director of the Center shall establish a program of entering into contracts with qualified health professionals under which such health professionals agree to engage in minority health disparities research or other health disparities research in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of engaging in such research, not more than $35,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans of such health professionals.
“(b) Service Provisions.--The provisions of sections 338B, 338C, and 338E shall, except as inconsistent with subsection (a), apply to the program established in such subsection to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in subpart III of part D of title III.
“(c) Requirement Regarding Health Disparity Populations.--The Director of the Center shall ensure that not fewer than 50 percent of the contracts entered into under subsection (a) are for appropriately qualified health professionals who are members of a health disparity population.
“(d) Priority.--With respect to minority health disparities research and other health disparities research under subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that priority is given to conducting projects of biomedical research.
“(e) Funding.—
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
(2) Availability of appropriations.--Amounts available for carrying out this section shall remain available until the expiration of the second fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for which the amounts were made available.”.
Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program
For Individuals From Disadvantaged Backgrounds
Public Law 106-554(Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2001) amended Section 487E(a)(1) of the Public Health Services Act (PHS) (42 USC 288-5) by striking language, and thereby, allowing extramural clinical researchers to be considered for the clinical research loan repayment program for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Specifically, Section 487(E) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Section 223 of this Act, is amended by striking “as employees of the National Institutes of Health,” and reads as follows:
“SEC. 487(E) <<NOTE: 42 USC 288-5>>
Loan Repayment Program Regarding clinical Researchers From Disadvantaged Backgrounds
(a) Implementation of program
(1) In general
Subject to section 288(a)(1)(C) of this title, the Secretary, acting through the Director of NIH may, subject to paragraph (2), carry out a program of entering into contracts with appropriately qualified health professionals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds under which such health professionals agree to conduct clinical research in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay, for each year of such service, not more than $35,000 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) Applicability of certain provisions regarding obligated service
Except to the extent inconsistent with this section, the provisions of sections 254l-1, 254m and 254o of this title shall apply to the program established in paragraph (1) to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in section 254l-1 of this title.
(b) Availability of authorization of appropriations
Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year for contracts under subsection (a) of this section shall remain available until the expiration of the second fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for which the amounts were appropriated.”
