[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2264 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2264

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish within the Veterans 
Health Administration the position of Advisor on Physician Assistants, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2000

    Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Mr. Jeffords, and Mrs. Hutchison) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish within the Veterans 
Health Administration the position of Advisor on Physician Assistants, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recognition of Physician Assistants 
in the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION OF ADVISOR ON PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS 
              WITHIN OFFICE OF UNDERSECRETARY FOR HEALTH.

    (a) Establishment.--Subsection (a) of section 7306 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following new 
        paragraph (9):
            ``(9) The Advisor on Physician Assistants, who shall carry 
        out the responsibilities set forth in subsection (f).''.
    (b) Responsibilities.--That section is further amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
        subsection (f):
    ``(f) The Advisor on Physician Assistants under subsection (a)(9) 
shall--
            ``(1) advise the Under Secretary for Health on matters 
        regarding the optimal utilization of physician assistants by 
        the Veterans Health Administration;
            ``(2) advise the Under Secretary for Health on the 
        feasibility and desirability of establishing clinical 
        privileges and practice areas for physician assistants in the 
        Administration;
            ``(3) develop initiatives to facilitate the utilization of 
        the full range of clinical capabilities of the physician 
        assistants employed by the Administration;
            ``(4) provide advice on policies affecting the employment 
        of physician assistants by the Administration, including 
        policies on educational requirements, national certification, 
        recruitment and retention, staff development, and the 
        availability of educational assistance (including scholarship, 
        tuition reimbursement, and loan repayment assistance); and
            ``(5) carry out such other responsibilities as the Under 
        Secretary for Health shall specify.''.
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