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Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§247b–7 Loan repayment program

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES › Part Part B— - Federal-State Cooperation › § 247b–7

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Allows the Secretary to make contracts with qualified health professionals so they work as employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on prevention, preparedness, and rapid response to public health emergencies and threats. For each year of such service the federal government may repay up to $50,000 of the professional’s student loan principal and interest. To qualify, a professional must have a large amount of educational debt compared to income and must agree to serve at least 2 years. Rules from the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program apply here unless they conflict with this program. Money was authorized at $500,000 for fiscal year 1994 and as needed for fiscal years 1995 through 2002. For those in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, $1,000,000 was authorized for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023. Appropriated funds stay available until the end of the second fiscal year after the year they were provided.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §247b–7

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may carry out a program 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 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service, not more than $50,000 of the principal and interest of the educational loans of such health professionals.
(2)The Secretary may not enter into an agreement with a health professional pursuant to paragraph (1) unless such professional—
(A)has a substantial amount of educational loans relative to income; and
(B)agrees to serve as an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for purposes of paragraph (1) for a period of not less than 2 years.
(b)With respect to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in subpart III of part D of this subchapter, the provisions of such subpart shall, except as inconsistent with subsection (a), apply to the program established in this section in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
(c)(1)For the purpose of carrying out this section, except as described in paragraph (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)For purposes of carrying out this section with respect to qualified health professionals serving in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, as authorized under section 247b–8 of this title, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
(d)Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year for contracts under subsection (a) shall remain available until the expiration of the second fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year for which the amounts were appropriated.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

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).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 247b–7

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73