Congress·In Committee·S. 709

Congress Proposes Expanding Program to Send More International Doctors to Rural America

Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Moves to Expand Foreign Doctor Programs for Underserved Areas

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill extends a program that allows international doctors to stay in the U.S. after their medical training if they agree to work in rural or underserved areas for at least three years. Normally, these doctors are required to return to their home countries for two years before they can apply to stay permanently.
The proposal would increase the number of doctors each state can sponsor. While each state currently gets 30 spots per year, this bill allows that number to grow to 35 or more if a state uses almost all of its available slots, helping areas with severe doctor shortages get more help.
New protections would be added for these doctors to ensure they are treated fairly by employers. Contracts would be required to clearly list on-call hours and malpractice insurance details, and employers would be banned from using 'non-compete' clauses that prevent doctors from working nearby if they leave their current job.
The bill simplifies the path to permanent residency (a green card) for these physicians. It allows their required five years of service to start counting the day they begin working in a community, rather than making them wait for the government to process extra paperwork first.
It helps keep families together by allowing the spouses and children of these doctors to stay in the U.S. while the doctor fulfills their service requirement. This removes the old rule that often forced family members to return to their home countries for two years.

HealthcareImmigrationLabor Employment

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 25, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Feb 25, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Upon enactment, if passed

Conrad State 30 program is reauthorized and extended for 3 years from enactment, with retroactive effect to September 30, 2018

States can immediately resume or continue sponsoring international doctors for underserved areas, and doctors whose waivers lapsed during the gap period may be able to regain their status.

First full fiscal year after enactment

State waiver allotments increase from 30 to 35 per state if 90% utilization threshold is met

States that have been filling nearly all their doctor slots will get 5 more each year, meaning more international physicians can be placed in communities that need them.

Upon enactment, if passed

New employment contract requirements and protections take effect for waiver physicians

Doctors will have clearer contracts specifying on-call hours, malpractice coverage, and work locations, and employers cannot use non-compete clauses. Doctors who lose their jobs get a 120-day grace period to find new employment.

Related News

1 article

Arizona Capitol Times·about 1 month ago

Physician shortage prompts states to embrace immigrant doctors

As the U.S. faces a worsening physician shortage, states are passing laws to ease licensing for foreign-trained doctors. The federal Conrad 30 program remains a critical tool, with recent bipartisan legislation in D.C. aiming to expand the number of waivers available to states.