PHS ACCESS Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4416
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-28: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-18T18:47:21Z
AI-Generated Summary
PHS ACCESS Act (S. 4416)
Purpose
The legislation aims to improve healthcare delivery in underserved communities by authorizing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to assign Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps officers to Urban Indian organizations and by creating incentives for PHS personnel to serve in hard-to-staff areas like rural, remote, or tribal locations.
Key Provisions
- Detailing of PHS Officers: Allows the HHS Secretary to temporarily assign (or "detail") PHS Commissioned Corps officers to Urban Indian organizations—nonprofit groups providing health services to urban Native American populations—to support HHS-related work.
- Personnel Appointment Criteria:
- Makes the granting of "constructive credit" (extra seniority for pay and promotion based on prior experience) discretionary for certain PHS appointees.
- Requires the HHS Secretary to develop objective and transparent criteria, prioritizing:
- Service in rural or remote agencies where PHS is legally required to provide care.
- Specialists in fields with workforce shortages.
- Areas facing major access-to-care barriers.
- Work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or Urban Indian organizations.
- Mandates periodic review and updates to these criteria based on current workforce needs.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Public Health Service Act Section 214 (42 U.S.C. 215): Adds a new subsection (d) explicitly authorizing details to Urban Indian organizations; redesignates existing subsections (d) and (e) as (e) and (f); makes minor wording updates for clarity.
- Public Health Service Act Section 207(d) (42 U.S.C. 209(d)): Shifts from mandatory ("shall") to optional ("may") constructive credit, adding detailed preference criteria in a new paragraph (5).
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Gives HHS and PHS more flexibility to deploy officers and incentivize service in priority areas, potentially easing staffing shortages without new hiring.
- Citizens: Enhances healthcare access in underserved rural, remote, tribal, and urban Native American communities by directing expert personnel where needs are greatest.
- No direct international relations impact.
Main Stakeholders
- Urban Indian organizations (primary beneficiaries for officer details).
- Indian tribes and tribal organizations (gain hiring preferences).
- PHS Commissioned Corps officers (affected by service credit rules).
- Rural/remote health agencies (eligible for prioritized staffing).
- HHS Secretary and Department (gains new authorities and duties).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Builds on existing PHS authorities without overriding them; promotes equity in federal health obligations under laws like the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
- Constitutional: No apparent challenges; aligns with Congress's spending and commerce powers for public health.
- Political: Supports bipartisan focus on health disparities in Native American and rural communities; could set precedent for targeted incentives in federal workforce management.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT], Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC], Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-28: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2026-04-28: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Public Health Services for Advancing Care and Creating Efficient Support Systems in Underserved Communities Act — issued 2026-04-28 — PDF (3 pages)