[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 659 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 659


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 13, 2003

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    To amend section 242 of the National Housing Act regarding the 
   requirements for mortgage insurance under such Act for hospitals.

    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 ``Hospital Mortgage Insurance Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. STANDARDS FOR DETERMINING NEED AND FEASIBILITY FOR HOSPITALS.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (4) of section 242(d) of the National 
Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z-7) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(4)(A) The Secretary shall require satisfactory evidence that the 
hospital will be located in a State or political subdivision of a State 
with reasonable minimum standards of licensure and methods of operation 
for hospitals and satisfactory assurance that such standards will be 
applied and enforced with respect to the hospital.
    ``(B) The Secretary shall establish the means for determining need 
and feasibility for the hospital. If the State has an official 
procedure for determining need for hospitals, the Secretary shall also 
require that such procedure be followed before the application for 
insurance is submitted, and the application shall document that need 
has also been established under that procedure.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendment made by this subsection (a) 
        shall take effect and apply as of the date of the enactment of 
        this Act.
            (2) Effect of regulatory authority.--Any authority of the 
        Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to issue regulations 
        to carry out the amendment made by subsection (a) may not be 
        construed to affect the effectiveness or applicability of such 
        amendment under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 12, 2003.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.