S. 3737: Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-05-14 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-05-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act

Plain summary

Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2025, and otherwise modifies, the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (a program that awards student loan repayment to individuals with qualifying degrees who commit to work full-time for a federal, state, tribal, or local public health agency for a period of obligated service). Among other changes, the bill eliminates the option for individuals to complete the service obligation in a federal public health agency and expands the scope of qualifying degrees to include those in statistics, computer science, and programs related to information technology. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services may take actions to equitably distribute awards among geographic regions and jurisdictional levels and to ensure that at least 50% of individuals who receive loan repayment awards are not employed in qualifying public health agencies at the time they enter the program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] reported raising $48,878 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s3737.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s3737 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116