Reproductive Health Care Training Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9420 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9420

  To provide for the establishment of an education program to expand
                   abortion care training and access.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2026

 Mr. Bera (for himself, Ms. Schrier, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Pocan, and Ms.
  Morrison) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To provide for the establishment of an education program to expand
                   abortion care training and access.

    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 ``Reproductive Health Care Training
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. EDUCATION PROGRAM TO EXPAND ABORTION CARE TRAINING AND ACCESS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration,
shall establish a program to award grants or contracts to eligible
entities to carry out the activities described in subsection (e) for
the purposes of--
            (1) expanding and supporting education for students,
        residents, or advanced practice clinicians in a covered State
        that permits comprehensive training in abortion care; and
            (2) preparing and encouraging each such student, resident,
        and advanced practice clinician training in a covered State to
        serve as an abortion provider after completing such training.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive an award under this
section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require, including--
            (1) a certification that such eligible entity will use
        amounts provided to the entity to carry out the activities
        described in subsection (e); and
            (2) a description of how such eligible entity will carry
        out such activities.
    (c) Eligible Entity.--For purposes of this section, the term
``eligible entity'' includes accredited health professions schools,
academic health centers or other appropriate public or private
nonprofit health care safety net providers, including sexual and
reproductive health providers, as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Priority.--In making awards under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) are located in a covered State in which clinical
        training for heath care students, residents, and advanced
        practice clinicians in abortion care is permitted or
        comprehensively taught;
            (2) support clinical training in abortion care for health
        care students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians from
        States where such training is otherwise limited; or
            (3) are minority serving institutions or institutions that
        provide training to increase underrepresented minority health
        professions.
    (e) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity shall use funds made
available under an award under this section to carry out the following
activities:
            (1) Support or expand clinical training for health care
        students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians in
        abortion care.
            (2) Develop and operate programs to train health care
        students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians in
        abortion care by--
                    (A) defining a set of clinical training activities
                related to abortion care, including those that include
                care for racial and ethnic minority groups, people with
                disabilities, Tribal, and medically underserved
                communities;
                    (B) identifying and addressing challenges to
                accessing abortion care, including the needs of racial
                and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities,
                Tribal, and medically underserved communities;
                    (C) supporting the use of telehealth technologies
                and practices related to abortion care;
                    (D) integrating abortion training into health care
                education; and
                    (E) promoting interprofessional training that
                includes non-obstetrician-gynecologist abortion
                providers.
            (3) Develop or expand strategic partnerships with community
        health organizations or other eligible entities to enhance
        access to abortion care and improve health outcomes.
            (4) Develop, implement, and evaluate methods to improve
        recruitment and retention of health care students and advanced
        practice clinicians from medically underserved communities to
        increase access to abortion care.
            (5) Train and support instructors to serve medically
        underserved communities.
            (6) Prepare health care students, residents, or advanced
        practice clinicians for transition into clinical practice that
        includes abortion care, with a focus on medically underserved
        communities.
            (7) Provide scholarships or stipends to health care
        students, residents, or advanced practice clinicians that are
        pursing training in abortion care, with a focus on medically
        underserved communities.
    (f) Supplement Not Supplant.--Federal funds appropriated to carry
out this section shall supplement not supplant funds otherwise made
available to carry out title VII and title VIII of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq. and 296 et seq.).
    (g) Reporting.--
            (1) Reports from entities.--Each entity that receives an
        award under this section shall submit an annual report to the
        Secretary on the financial and programmatic performance under
        such award, which may include factors such as the number of
        trainees, the number of professions and disciplines, the number
        of partnerships with health care delivery sites, the number of
        faculty and practicing health care professionals who
        participated in continuing education programs, and other
        factors, as the Secretary may require, in a manner that does
        not allow for identification of patients, individual providers,
        or other participants.
            (2) Reports to congress.--At the end of each year in which
        the Secretary makes awards under this section, the Secretary
        shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
        Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce
        of the House of Representatives a report that provides a
        summary of the financial and programmatic performance of such
        awards, which may include factors such as the number trainees,
        the number of professions and disciplines, the number of
        partnerships with health care delivery sites, the number of
        faculty and practicing health care professionals who
        participated in continuing education programs, and other
        factors that assess the impact of the program on the expansion
        of access to abortion services, in a manner that does not
        disclose any identifiable information of patients, individual
        providers, or other participants.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered state.--The term ``covered State'' means a
        State, Puerto Rico, and a territory or possession of the United
        States in which comprehensive training for abortion care is
        permissible.
            (2) Medically underserved community.--The term ``medically
        underserved community'' has the meaning given such term in
        section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2027 through 2031.
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