SPARC Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4681 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4681 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 23, 2025 Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania (for himself and Ms. Ross) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians, and for other purposes. 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 ``Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care Act'' or the ``SPARC Act''. SEC. 2. SPECIALTY MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS WORKFORCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq.) is amended-- (1) by redesignating part G (42 U.S.C. 795j et seq.) as part H; and (2) by inserting after part F (42 U.S.C. 295h) the following new part: ``PART G--SPECIALTY MEDICINE WORKFORCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ``SEC. 782. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. ``(a) In General.-- ``(1) Program for specialty medicine physicians.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a program under which-- ``(A) the Secretary enters into agreements with specialty medicine physicians to make payments in accordance with subsection (b) on the principal of and interest on any eligible loans described in s