- Star Grassroots Advocates
- Throughout June, program director volunteers from across the country participated in meetings with the offices of key Senate Republicans to advocate for emergency funding for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment programs. Thank you for your leadership!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- PAEA submitted comments to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in June on Chairman Lamar Alexander’s “Preparing for the Next Pandemic” white paper. In the comments, PAEA emphasized the need for new investments in telemedicine curriculum development, student diversity, and workforce surge capacity.
- Following a period of sustained advocacy, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the PAEA-endorsed and bipartisan Strengthening America’s Health Care Readiness Act in June. This bill is an adapted version of the Health Heroes 2020 Act and would make emergency investments in the National Health Service Corps to address long-standing health workforce shortages.
- Health Care News in Washington
- Throughout June, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a series of hearings focused on university preparedness to welcome students back to campus in fall 2020.
- House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced that subcommittee mark-ups of the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills would begin in early July. In the absence of finalized appropriations bills or a continuing resolution, a government shutdown will take place at the end of September.
- Opportunities for Action
- PAEA has partnered with the offices of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to advocate for the inclusion of S. 4055 - the Strengthening America’s Health Care Readiness Act - in future COVID-19 response legislation. This bill would provide $5 billion in supplemental funding for the National Health Service Corps scholarships and loan repayment programs while requiring 40% of scholarship awards to support underrepresented minority students. If you have not already done so, please contact your representatives in support of this bill today.
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