A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2026. It makes changes to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The bill allows individuals who receive Indian Health Service scholarships and loans to fulfill their service obligations through half-time clinical practice. It sets rules for doubling the obligated service period when working half-time under a scholarship. It also provides specific service period and loan payment options for individuals in the loan repayment program who choose half-time clinical practice. Finally, it outlines how damages for a breach of contract are determined by converting half-time service into its full-time equivalent.
Yes· 3 of 10
- Scored +6
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
The bill directly enhances the Indian Health Service workforce by introducing half-time service options to attract and retain medical professionals for Native American communities.
- Scored +5
Would students be better off under this?
Students and recent graduates receiving IHS scholarships or loans are given alternative pathways to fulfill their active duty service obligations.
- Scored +5
Does this reduce what student borrowers owe or repay?
The bill expands loan repayment and scholarship fulfillment options by allowing half-time service schedules for participants.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(a) amends the Indian Health Professions Scholarships rules to allow scholarship recipients to meet their active duty service obligation through half-time practice if they agree in writing to double the period of obligated service. This is positive because it gives health professionals more flexibility in how they complete their required service.
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Section 2(b) amends the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program to allow participants to serve for 4 years (or a longer equivalent period) in half-time clinical practice, or to serve for 2 years in half-time clinical practice with a loan payment amount equal to 50 percent of the amount for full-time service. This is positive because it offers loan recipients multiple scheduling and payment choices that fit their personal or professional needs.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Section 2(a) requires scholarship recipients who choose half-time practice to agree in writing to double the period of obligated service that would otherwise be required for full-time practice. This could be viewed as a negative burden because it means spending twice as many years completing the service obligation.
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Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) state that if an individual fails to begin or complete the half-time period of obligated service, the procedures for determining damages for breach of contract will be used after converting the period into its full-time equivalent. This could negatively impact individuals by holding them accountable to strict breach of contract penalties based on full-time equivalent calculations.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill directly enhances the Indian Health Service workforce by introducing half-time service options to attract and retain medical professionals for Native American communities. Would students be better off under this? — Students and recent graduates receiving IHS scholarships or loans are given alternative pathways to fulfill their active duty service obligations. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Mid-career healthcare professionals participating in IHS programs benefit from the option to fulfill service obligations on a half-time basis. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Young professionals participating in IHS scholarship and loan programs gain flexible scheduling options to complete their service obligations. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Expanding healthcare workforce participation in underserved Native American communities indirectly supports economically disadvantaged populations dependent on these services. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Healthcare professionals and practitioners participating in the loan repayment and scholarship programs receive more flexible career management options.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — By permitting half-time clinical practice for IHS scholarship and loan recipients, the bill expands staffing flexibility and healthcare access in underserved Indian health programs. Does this help veterans get medical care? — The bill improves the availability and flexibility of health professionals serving in programs that address Native American health needs.
- Education And Technology
- Does this reduce what student borrowers owe or repay? — The bill expands loan repayment and scholarship fulfillment options by allowing half-time service schedules for participants.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The legislation supports healthcare workforce development specifically targeted toward improving health services for Native Americans.
- 11/5/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced in House