TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY.

SEC. 102. TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY. Part C of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293 et seq.) is amended— (1) in the part heading by striking “PRIMARY HEALTHCARE” and inserting “FAMILY MEDICINE, GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE, GENERAL PEDIATRICS, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, GENERAL DENTISTRY, AND PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY”; (2) by repealing section 746 (42 U.S.C. 293j); (3) in section 747 (42 U.S.C. 293k)— (A) by striking the section heading and inserting the following: “SEC. 747. FAMILY MEDICINE, GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE, GENERAL PEDIATRICS, GENERAL DENTISTRY, PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.”; (B) in subsection (a)— (i) in paragraph (1)— (I) by inserting “, internal medicine, or pediatrics” after “family medicine”; and (II) by inserting before the semicolon the following: “that emphasizes training for the practice of family medicine, general internal medicine, or general pediatrics (as defined by the Secretary)”; (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting “, general internal medicine, or general pediatrics” before the semicolon; (iii) in paragraphs (3) and (4), by inserting “(including geriatrics), general internal medicine or general pediatrics” after “family medicine”; (iv) in paragraph (3), by striking “and” at the end thereof; (v) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and (vii) by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraphs: “(5) to meet the costs of projects to plan, develop, and operate or maintain programs for the training of physician assistants (as defined in section 799B), and for the training 112 STAT. 3538of individuals who will teach in programs to provide such training; and “(6) to meet the costs of planning, developing, or operating programs, and to provide financial assistance to residents in such programs, of general dentistry or pediatric dentistry. For purposes of paragraph (6), entities eligible for such grants or contracts shall include entities that have programs in dental schools, approved residency programs in the general or pediatric practice of dentistry, approved advanced education programs in the general or pediatric practice of dentistry, or approved residency programs in pediatric dentistry.”; (C) in subsection (b)— (i) in paragraphs (1) and (2)(A), by inserting “, general internal medicine, or general pediatrics” after “family medicine”; (ii) in paragraph (2)— (I) in subparagraph (A), by striking “or” at the end; and (II) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and inserting “; or”; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: “(3) Priority in making awards.— In making awards of grants and contracts under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified applicant for such an award that proposes a collaborative project between departments of primary care.”; (D) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively; (E) by inserting after subsection (b), the following new subsection: “(c) Priority.— “(1) In general.— With respect to programs for the training of interns or residents, the Secretary shall give priority in awarding grants under this section to qualified applicants that have a record of training the greatest percentage of providers, or that have demonstrated significant improvements in the percentage of providers, which enter and remain in primary care practice or general or pediatric dentistry. “(2) Disadvantaged individuals.— With respect to programs for the training of interns, residents, or physician assistants, the Secretary shall give priority in awarding grants under this section to qualified applicants that have a record of training individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among primary care practice or general or pediatric dentistry). “(3) Special consideration.— In awarding grants under this section the Secretary shall give special consideration to projects which prepare practitioners to care for underserved populations and other high risk groups such as the elderly, individuals with HIV-AIDS, substance abusers, homeless, and victims of domestic violence.”; and (F) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (D))— (i) in paragraph (1), by striking “$54,000,000” and all that follows and inserting “$78,300,000 for fiscal year 1998, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1999 through 2002.”; and 112 STAT. 3539 (ii) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: “(2) Allocation.— “(A) In general.— Of the amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available— “(i) not less than $49,300,000 for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (a) to programs of family medicine, of which not less than $8,600,000 shall be made available for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (b) for family medicine academic administrative units; “(ii) not less than $17,700,000 for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (a) to programs of general internal medicine and general pediatrics; “(iii) not less than $6,800,000 for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (a) to programs relating to physician assistants; and “(iv) not less than $4,500,000 for awards of grants and contracts under subsection (a) to programs of general or pediatric dentistry. “(B) Ratable reduction.— If amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) for any fiscal year are less than the amount required to comply with subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ratably reduce the amount to be made available under each of clauses (i) through (iv) of such subparagraph accordingly.”; and (4) by repealing sections 748 through 752 (42 U.S.C. 2931 through 293p) and inserting the following: “SEC. 748. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY. “(a) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (in this section referred to as the ‘Advisory Committee’). “(b) Composition.— “(1) In general.— The Secretary shall determine the appropriate number of individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee. Such individuals shall not be officers or employees of the Federal Government. “(2) Appointment.— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint the members of the Advisory Committee from among individuals who are health professionals. In making such appointments, the Secretary shall ensure a fair balance between the health professions, that at least 75 percent of the members of the Advisory Committee are health professionals, a broad geographic representation of members and a balance between urban and rural members. Members shall be appointed based on their competence, interest, and knowledge of the mission of the profession involved. “(3) Minority representation.— In appointing the members of the Advisory Committee under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall ensure the adequate representation of women and minorities. “(c) Terms.— 112 STAT. 3540 “(1) In general.— A member of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, except that of the members first appointed.— “(A) ⅓ of such members shall serve for a term of 1 year; “(B) ⅓ of such members shall serve for a term of 2 years; and “(C) ⅓ of such members shall serve for a term of 3 years. “(2) Vacancies.— “(A) In general.— A vacancy on the Advisory Committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made and shall be subject to any conditions which applied with respect to the original appointment. “(B) Filling unexpired term.— An individual chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member replaced. “(d) Duties.— The Advisory Committee shall— “(1) provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary concerning policy and program development and other matters of significance concerning the activities under section 747; and “(2) not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, prepare and submit to the Secretary, and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives, a report describing the activities of the Committee, including findings and recommendations made by the Committee concerning the activities under section 747. “(e) Meetings and Documents.— “(1) Meetings.— The Advisory Committee shall meet not less than 2 times each year. Such meetings shall be held jointly with other related entities established under this title where appropriate. “(2) Documents.— Not later than 14 days prior to the convening of a meeting under paragraph (1), the Advisory Committee shall prepare and make available an agenda of the matters to be considered by the Advisory Committee at such meeting. At any such meeting, the Advisory Council shall distribute materials with respect to the issues to be addressed at the meeting. Not later than 30 days after the adjourning of such a meeting, the Advisory Committee shall prepare and make available a summary of the meeting and any actions taken by the Committee based upon the meeting. “(f) Compensation and Expenses.— “(1) Compensation.— Each member of the Advisory Committee shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Committee. “(2) Expenses.— The members of the Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 112 STAT. 3541Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Committee. “(g) FACA.— The Federal Advisory Committee Act shall apply to the Advisory Committee under this section only to the extent that the provisions of such Act do not conflict with the requirements of this section.”.