- Star Grassroots Advocates
- During the 2019 PAEA Education Forum, over 170 faculty members and students visited Capitol Hill to meet with their senators to advocate for the introduction of Senate companion bills to the Physician Assistant Education Public Health Initiatives Act and the Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act. Thank you for your leadership and advocacy!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- In October, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2781 - the EMPOWER for Health Act. This bill would reauthorize most health workforce development programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act through fiscal year 2024. If enacted, this bill would raise the authorized funding levels for high-priority programs such as Primary Care Training and Enhancement grants, Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students, and Area Health Education Centers by 5-7% over their currently funded levels.
- The House Education and Labor committee advanced the H.R. 4674 - the College Affordability Act - a measure which represent a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in October. This bill includes several high-priority provisions for PA education including the elimination of origination fees on federal student loans, the reauthorization of low-interest Perkins loans for graduate students and authorization for disadvantaged Pell grant recipients to use remaining eligibility towards their first graduate-level degree.
- Health Care News in Washington
- In October, the House Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee held a hearing on proposed legislation to address rising rates of e-cigarette use among youth.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee advanced a series of bills in late October designed to address vector-borne disease, promote physical activity, and bolster the nursing workforce. In the coming months, a second session is anticipated to be held wherein the committee will consider legislation to promote non-nursing health professions workforce development.
- Opportunities for Action
- PAEA is continuing its campaign to build support for H.R. 1685 - the Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act - and H.R. 1686 - the Physician Assistant Education Public Health Initiatives Act. If you have not already contacted your representative in support of these bills, please do so today.
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