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HB 157PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billpassed chamber

Passed

Pennsylvania Establishes Rural Health Care Grant Program to Pay Practitioner Student Loans

Original title: An Act providing for grant awards to entities in rural counties and designated medically underserved areas to pay for the education debt of practitioners employed at the entity.

Last action · October 29, 2025: Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS, Oct. 29, 2025Sponsors: RAPP and 22 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Would Do

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is required to establish the Rural Health Care Grant Program to distribute state-appropriated funds to eligible health care entities in rural counties and medically underserved areas, allowing them to pay off the education debt of employed full-time practitioners who commit to a three-year service term. The grants are capped at $250,000 per entity annually, disbursed in increments of up to $10,000, and are exempt from state income tax for both the entities and participating practitioners.

Why it matters

Rural and medically underserved health care facilities in Pennsylvania gain a direct financial tool to recruit and retain doctors, nurses, dentists, and other health professionals by having their student loans paid off in exchange for a three-year work commitment.

Background

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed HB 157 with bipartisan sponsorship before sending it to the Senate for committee review. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Rural and underserved health care entities

Eligible hospitals, birth centers, federally qualified health centers, and rural health clinics can apply for state grants up to $250,000 annually to pay off employee student debt, and must comply with strict reporting and compliance rules.

Directly affected

Health care practitioners

Physicians, nurses, midwives, nurse-midwives, dentists, and dental hygienists employed full-time at eligible facilities can have their professional school education debt paid off by their employer in exchange for a three-year service commitment.

Directly affected

Department of Health

The department is required to administer the grant program, approve or deny applications within 60 days, disburse funds, ensure compliance, and publish an annual report on its website.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which health care facilities are eligible to apply for the grants?

Eligible entities include birth centers, s (including look-alikes), rural health clinics, and general acute care or specialty hospitals located in a or .

What obligations does a practitioner have in exchange for having their education debt paid?

A practitioner must be employed full-time, be licensed in Pennsylvania under the appropriate licensing board, begin work within six months of accepting the position, and work a minimum of three years for the entity that distributed the grant.

Are the grant awards considered taxable income?

No, grants awarded under this act are exempt from being considered taxable income for either the entity or the practitioner under the Tax Reform Code of 1971.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

14 actions

Oct 29, 2025SenateCommittee
Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS, Oct. 29, 2025
Oct 28, 2025SenateIntroduced
First consideration, Oct. 28, 2025
Oct 28, 2025SenateCommittee
Reported as committed, Oct. 28, 2025
Apr 14, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION, April 14, 2025
Apr 14, 2025Senate
In the Senate
Mar 19, 2025HouseFloor
Third consideration and final passage, March 19, 2025 (194-8)

Show 8 earlier actions

Mar 19, 2025HouseCommittee
Re-reported as committed, March 19, 2025
Mar 18, 2025House
Re-committed to APPROPRIATIONS, March 18, 2025
Mar 18, 2025HouseFloor
Second consideration, March 18, 2025
Mar 17, 2025House
Removed from table, March 17, 2025
Feb 5, 2025House
Laid on the table, Feb. 5, 2025
Feb 5, 2025HouseIntroduced
First consideration, Feb. 5, 2025
Feb 5, 2025House
Reported as amended, Feb. 5, 2025
Jan 14, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to HEALTH, Jan. 14, 2025

Version history & redline

2 versions on file

Comparing Printer's No. 0099 → Printer's No. 0475

removed addedOfficial text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 99 PRINTER'S NO. 475 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BILL No. 157 Session of 2025 INTRODUCED BY RAPP, FRANKEL, TWARDZIK, SANCHEZ, ZIMMERMAN, VENKAT, HOWARD, KHAN, CUTLER, GREINER, HILL-EVANS, FREEMAN, PICKETT AND PICKETT, WEBSTER, GREEN, BOROWSKI AND HANBIDGE, JANUARY 14, 2025 REFERRED TO AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JANUARY 14, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 5, 2025 AN ACT Providing for grant awards to entities in rural counties and designated medically underserved areas to pay for the education debt of […] quality practitioners. (2) Have more practitioners available to practice in designated medically underserved areas and rural areas. (3) Give patients in designated medically underserved areas and rural areas more access to practitioners.

Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

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Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Targeted Student Loan Relief for Rural Providers

The legislation establishes a dedicated funding mechanism linking state loan repayment grants specifically to retention timeframes (three years) and full-time employment status in medically underserved or rural regions.

Department of Health

Connected Entities

General Assembly, Department of Health, Center for Rural Pennsylvania

OrganizationGeneral Assembly“Appropriates funds for the Rural Health Care Grant Program.”Map →

OrganizationDepartment of Health“Administers the Rural Health Care Grant Program and distributes grants.”Map →

OrganizationCenter for Rural Pennsylvania“Provides the population density definition for a rural county.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy15
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz40
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

What This Bill Would Do

Who It Would Affect

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

News Coverage

Where This Stands

Procedural history

Version history & redline

Lobbying Activity

Full breakdown

Sponsors

Related Legislation

Pennsylvania House Bill 22 exempts National Guard pay from state personal income tax

Pennsylvania House Bill 834 requires monthly online posting of agency spending records and quarterly Auditor General affirmations

Pennsylvania House Bill 588 requires nurses to complete older adult abuse training for license renewal

General Assembly replaces registration with licensing for primary supervising physicians and extends compliance timeline

Pennsylvania House Bill 76 updates medical licensing definitions for osteopathic doctors and supervising physicians

Pennsylvania requires dialysis centers to maintain a minimum staffing ratio of one caregiver per four patients

Discoveries

Targeted Student Loan Relief for Rural Providers

Connected Entities

Sources

Analysis Score

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