H.R. 6672

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6672 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6672

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a loan repayment 
program for mental health professionals to relieve workforce shortages, 
and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 11, 2025

Ms. Salinas (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Ciscomani, and Ms. 
Budzinski) 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 for mental health professionals to relieve workforce shortages, 
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 ``Mental Health Professionals 
Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN 
SHORTAGE.

Title VII of the Public Health Service Act is amended--
(1) by redesignating part G (42 U.S.C. 295j et seq.) as 
part H; and
(2) by inserting after part F (42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) the 
following:

``PART G--MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN WORKFORCE SHORTAGE

``SEC. 783. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN 
WORKFORCE SHORTAGES.

``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator 
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a 
program under which--
``(1) the Secretary enters into agreements with individuals 
to make payments in accordance with subsection (b) on the 
principal of and interest on any eligible loan; and
``(2) the individuals each agree to complete a period of 
service in a mental health professional shortage area.
``(b) Payments.--For each year of obligated service by an 
individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall make a payment to such individual as follows:
``(1) Service in a shortage area.--The Secretary shall 
pay--
``(A) for each year of obligated service by an 
individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection 
(a), \1/6\ of the principal of and interest on each 
eligible loan of the individual which is outstanding on 
the date the individual began service pursuant to the 
agreement; and
``(B) for completion of the sixth and final year of 
such service, the remainder of such principal and 
interest.
``(2) Maximum amount.--The total amount of payments under 
this section to any individual shall not exceed $250,000.
``(c) Eligible Loans.--The loans eligible for repayment under this 
section are each of the following:
``(1) Any loan for education in mental health or a related 
field leading to a master's degree, leading to a doctoral 
degree, or consisting of post-doctoral study.
``(2) Any Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS 
Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or Federal 
Direct Consolidation Loan (as such terms are used in section 
455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965).
``(3) Any Federal Perkins Loan under part E of title I of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965.
``(4) Any other Federal loan as determined appropriate by 
the Secretary.
``(d) Period of Service.--The period of service required by an 
agreement under subsection (a) shall consist of up to 6 years of full-
time employment, with no more than one year passing between any two 
years of covered employment, as a mental health professional in the 
United States in a mental health professional shortage area.
``(e) Ineligibility for Double Benefits.--No borrower may, for the 
same service, receive a reduction of loan obligations or a loan 
repayment under both--
``(1) this section; and
``(2) any federally supported loan forgiveness program, 
including under section 338B, 338I, or 846 of this Act, or 
section 428J, 428L, 455(m), or 460 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965.
``(f) Breach.--
``(1) Liquidated damages formula.--The Secretary may 
establish a liquidated damages formula to be used in the event 
of a breach of an agreement entered into under subsection (a).
``(2) Limitation.--The failure by an individual to complete 
the full period of service obligated pursuant to such an 
agreement, taken alone, shall not constitute a breach of the 
agreement, so long as the individual completed in good faith 
the years of service for which payments were made to the 
individual under this section.
``(g) Additional Criteria.--The Secretary--
``(1) may establish such criteria and rules to carry out 
this section as the Secretary determines are needed and in 
addition to the criteria and rules specified in this section; 
and
``(2) shall give notice to the committees specified in 
subsection (h) of any criteria and rules so established.
``(h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
enactment of the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan 
Repayment Act of 2025, and every other year thereafter, the Secretary 
shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate a report on--
``(1) the number and location of borrowers who have 
qualified for loan repayments under this section; and
``(2) the impact of this section on the availability of 
mental health services in mental health professional shortage 
areas.
``(i) Definition.--In this section:
``(1) The term `mental health professional' means a full-
time job (including a fellowship) where the primary intent and 
function of the job is the direct treatment or recovery support 
of patients with or in recovery from a mental health disorder, 
such as a physician (MD or DO), psychiatric nurse, social 
worker, marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor, 
occupational therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, child and 
adolescent psychiatrist, or neurologist.
``(2) The term `mental health professional shortage area' 
means--
``(A) an area designated under section 332 with 
respect to a shortage of mental health professionals; 
or
``(B) any facility, program, center, or clinic as 
determined appropriate by the Secretary for purposes of 
this section because of a shortage of mental health 
professionals, including private physician practices 
and other medical facilities designated under section 
332(a) as having such a shortage.
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2035.''.
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