Bill > S2954

This bill, called the Health Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2025, establishes several grant programs aimed at addressing healthcare workforce shortages and expanding enrollment in medical, dental, and nursing schools. The bill creates three primary grant programs: MED Grants for medical students, DENTAL Grants for dental students, and NURSE Grants for nursing students. For medical and dental students, the grants cover tuition and fees with a requirement that recipients practice in specific areas (primary care for medical students, rural areas for dental students) for at least 10 years after completing their training. If recipients fail to meet this service obligation, the grants can be converted to loans. The bill also includes provisions for increasing enrollment at health professional schools by providing grants to schools of medicine, dentistry, and nursing to expand their student capacity by 20-50 percent, with a focus on recruiting students from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds. Additionally, the bill establishes a Rural Relocation Grant Program that provides up to $20,000 to physicians, nurses, and dentists who relocate to rural areas to practice, with a requirement to remain in the area for at least three years. The bill authorizes significant funding across these programs, totaling billions of dollars for fiscal years 2026-2035, and aims to address healthcare workforce shortages, particularly in primary care and rural areas.

Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2954/all-info