Cooperative agreements for online degree programs at schools of public health and schools of allied health

Part D of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 755 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 294e) the following: 755A. Cooperative agreements for online degree programs (a) Cooperative agreements The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall enter into cooperative agreements with schools of public health and schools of allied health to design and implement online degree programs. (b) Priority In entering into cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any school of public health or school of allied health that has an established track record of serving medically underserved communities. (c) Requirements As a condition of entering into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary under this section, a school of public health or school of allied health shall agree to design and implement an online degree program that meets the following restrictions: (1) Enrollment of individuals who have obtained a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent. (2) Maintaining a significant enrollment of underrepresented minority or disadvantaged students. (3) Achieving a high completion rate of enrolled underrepresented minority or disadvantaged students. (d) Period of cooperative agreements The period during which payments are made through a cooperative agreement entered into under this section may not exceed 3 years. (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031..