---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 247b–7"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "247b–7"
heading: "Loan repayment program"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/247b-7"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter II — General Powers and Duties"
  - "Part B — Federal-State Cooperation"
---

# §247b–7. Loan repayment program

- (a) **In general—**
  - (1) **Authority—** Subject to [paragraph (2)](#a-2), the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) may carry out a [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) of entering into contracts with appropriately qualified health professionals under which such health professionals agree to conduct prevention activities or preparedness and response activities, including rapid response to public health emergencies and significant public health threats, as [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), not more than $50,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans of such health professionals.
  - (2) **Limitation—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) may not enter into an agreement with a health professional pursuant to [paragraph (1)](#a-1) unless such professional—
    - (A) has a substantial amount of educational loans relative to income; and
    - (B) agrees to serve as an [employee](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for purposes of [paragraph (1)](#a-1) for a period of not less than 2 years.
- (b) **Applicability of certain provisions—** With respect to the National Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) Corps Loan Repayment [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) established in subpart III of part D of this subchapter, the provisions of such subpart shall, except as inconsistent with [subsection (a)](#a), apply to the [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) established in this section in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) Corps Loan Repayment [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4).
- (c) **Authorization of appropriations—**
  - (1) **In general—** For the purpose of carrying out this section, except as described in [paragraph (2)](#c-2), there are authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for fiscal year 1994, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1995 through 2002.
  - (2) **Epidemic Intelligence Service program—** For purposes of carrying out this section with respect to qualified health professionals serving in the Epidemic Intelligence [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), as authorized under [section 247b–8 of this title](/usc/42/247b–8.md), there is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
- (d) **Availability of appropriations—** Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year for contracts under [subsection (a)](#a) shall remain available until the expiration of the second fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for which the amounts were appropriated.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 317F, as added Pub. L. 103–183, title VII, § 703, Dec. 14, 1993, 107 Stat. 2240; amended Pub. L. 105–392, title IV, § 406, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3588; Pub. L. 116–22, title III, § 301(c), June 24, 2019, 133 Stat. 932.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–22, § 301(c)(1)(A), inserted “or preparedness and response activities, including rapid response to public health emergencies and significant public health threats” after “conduct prevention activities” and substituted “$50,000” for “$35,000”.

Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 116–22, § 301(c)(1)(B), substituted “2 years” for “3 years”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–22, § 301(c)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, substituted “For the purpose of carrying out this section, except as described in paragraph (2)” for “For the purpose of carrying out this section”, and added par. (2).

1998—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 105–392, § 406(1), substituted “$35,000” for “$20,000”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–392, § 406(2), substituted “2002” for “1998”.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 105–392, § 406(3), added subsec. (d).