Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024”.
Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to address the shortage of medical laboratory personnel, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Including medical laboratory personnel and services in National Health Service Corps programs
in paragraph (3)(D), by striking “or mental health” and inserting “mental health, or medical laboratory services”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(F) The term medical laboratory personnel—
“(i) means individuals—
“(I) seeking or receiving training in an accredited medical laboratory science program; or
“(II) employed in a position in which the individual examines materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a disease or impairment of human beings; and
“(ii) includes phlebotomists, medical laboratory assistants, histotechnologists, laboratory scientists, laboratory technicians, and genetic counselors.”
Medical laboratory health professional target areas— Section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(l) Medical laboratory health professional target areas
“(1) In general—The Secretary shall carry out a program of—
“(A) identifying medical laboratory health professional target areas; and
“(B) assigning members of the Corps who are medical laboratory personnel to such areas.
“(2) Applicable provisions—The provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of subsection (k) shall apply to the identification of medical laboratory health professional target areas and the assignment of medical laboratory personnel under this subsection except that—
“(A) references to maternity care health professional target areas shall be treated as references to medical laboratory health professional target areas; and
“(B) references to maternity care health professionals and maternity care shall be treated as references to medical laboratory personnel and medical laboratory services, respectively.”
Loan repayment program— Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) is amended—
in subsection (a)(1), by inserting “medical laboratory personnel,” after “dentists,”; and
in subsection (b)—
by striking “an individual must—” and all that follows through “or physician assistant;” and inserting the following:
“(1)
“(A)
“(i) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and mental health;
“(ii) be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant; or
“(iii) have a degree in medical laboratory science;”
in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting “medical laboratory science,” after “mental health,”; and
in paragraph (1)(C)(ii), by inserting “medical laboratory science,” after “dentistry,”.
Sec. 3 Medical laboratory personnel education program
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 778 (42 U.S.C. 295f–3) the following:
“779. Medical laboratory personnel education program
“(a) In general—The Secretary may make grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities that the Secretary has determined are capable of carrying out such grant or contract—
“(1) to plan, develop, operate, or participate in an accredited medical laboratory professional education program that awards an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree or certificate; and
“(2) to recruit, train, and develop faculty for such program.
“(b) Priorities in making awards—In awarding grants and contracts under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that—
“(1) utilize innovative approaches to clinical teaching;
“(2) are committed to training individuals from rural, underrepresented, or disadvantaged backgrounds;
“(3) teach collaboration among health professionals; or
“(4) provide training in cultural competency and health literacy.
“(c) Duration of awards—A grant or contract awarded under this subsection shall be for a period of 3 years.
“(d) Eligible entity defined—In this section, the term eligible entity means an accredited nonprofit hospital, school of allied health, or nonprofit entity that sponsors accredited internship programs required for professional certification.
“(e) Authorization of appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section—
“(1) $25,000,000 for the first full fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this Act; and
“(2) such sums as may be necessary for subsequent fiscal years.”