Proposed
Bill · 119th Congress · S 1380
SPARC Act
Refreshed 2 h ago
Introduced 2025-04-09Topic: health care · higher educationSummary
Summary by the Congressional Research ServiceSpecialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care Act or the SPARC Act This bill establishes student loan repayment programs to support the provision of specialty medical care in rural areas. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) must carry out such a program for specialty medicine physicians (i.e., practicing in an area other than primary care) who provide care in rural communities with shortages of such physicians. Physicians must agree to a period of obligated service and, for each year of such service, HRSA must pay one-sixth of the principal payment and interest on eligible loans up to a maximum cap of $250,000. Additionally, HRSA may carry out a similar loan repayment program for nonphysician specialty health care providers.
Sponsors
- Jacky Rosen Democrat sponsor
- 5 cosponsors
Action history
| Date | Chamber | Action | Status effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-19 | Senate | Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held. | refer |
| 2025-04-09 | Senate | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. | refer |
| 2025-04-09 | Introduced in Senate | introduce |