PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S836-838)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 26, 2009
Community Health Workers Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to promote positive health behaviors for women and children in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women and children in medically underserved communities.
Permits such funds to be used to support community health workers to: (1) educate, guide, and provide outreach regarding health problems among women and children, especially among racial and ethnic minority women and children; (2) educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities that target behavioral risk factors, including poor nutrition and tobacco use; (3) educate and guide regarding effective strategies to promote positive health behaviors within the family; (4) educate and provide outreach regarding enrollment in health insurance; (5) promote community wellness and awareness; and (6) educate and refer target populations to appropriate health care agencies and community based programs and organizations.
Requires the Secretary to give priority to experienced applicants who propose to target geographic areas: (1) with a high percentage of uninsured or underinsured residents who are eligible for health insurance; (2) with a high percentage of families for whom English is not their primary language; and (3) that encompass the United States-Mexico border region.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) encourage community health worker programs to collaborate with academic institutions; and (2) establish guidelines for ensuring the quality of the training and supervision of community health workers under programs funded under this Act and for ensuring the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
People & committees
Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM] · D–NM
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S836-838)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S836)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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