[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 709 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 709

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Department of 
  Veterans Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans for 
prescriptions written by private practitioners, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2003

  Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Taylor of Mississippi, Mr. 
Whitfield, Mr. Paul, Mr. Norwood, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Holden, Mr. Filner, 
  Mr. Sandlin, Mr. Combest, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Frost, Mr. Duncan, Mr. 
 Sherman, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Rush, Mr. Hall, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. 
 Davis of Illinois, Mr. Platts, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Gordon, Mr. 
Faleomavaega, and Mr. Calvert) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Department of 
  Veterans Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans for 
prescriptions written by private practitioners, 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 ``Veterans Prescription Access 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PHARMACIES TO 
              DISPENSE MEDICATIONS TO VETERANS ON PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN 
              BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.

    (a) Authority.--Section 1712(d) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Subject to section 1722A of this title, the Secretary shall 
furnish to a veteran such drugs and medicines as may be ordered on 
prescription of a duly licensed physician in the treatment of any 
illness or injury of the veteran.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendments.--(1) The heading of section 1712 of such 
title is amended by striking the sixth through ninth words.
    (2) The item relating to section 1712 in the table of sections at 
the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended by striking the 
sixth through ninth words.
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