111 HR 134 IH: EEOICPA Ombudsman Extension and Enhancement Act of 2009 U.S. House of Representatives 2009-01-06 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 134 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 6, 2009 Mr. Gallegly introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to extend and increase the authority for the ombudsman under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the EEOICPA Ombudsman Extension and Enhancement Act of 2009.

2.

Increased authority for ombudsman under Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program

Section 3686 of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 7385s–15) is amended— (1)by amending subsection (c) to read as follows: (c)

Duties

The duties of the Office shall be as follows: (1)To assist individuals in making claims under this title. (2)To provide information on the benefits available under this title and on the requirements and procedures applicable to the provision of such benefits. (3)To act as an advocate under this title in appropriate instances, as determined by the Ombudsman. (4)To make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the location of centers (to be known as resource centers) for the acceptance and development of claims for benefits under this title. (5)To carry out such other duties as the Secretary shall specify. ; (2)in subsection (e)(2), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (C)Proposed changes in the administrative practices of the Department of Labor to mitigate difficulties identified under subparagraph (B) and potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate such difficulties. ; and (3)by striking subsection (g) (establishing a sunset date) and inserting the following: (g)

Contract authority

The Ombudsman shall have authority to hire or contract for any supplies or services including the services of individuals with expertise in relevant disciplines, including health physics, medicine, industrial hygiene, and toxicology, as the Ombudsman may from time to time consider appropriate. .