[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 784 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 784

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress quarterly reports on vacancies 
   in mental health professional positions in Department of Veterans 
                      Affairs medical facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 28, 2009

  Ms. Tsongas (for herself and Mr. Michaud) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress quarterly reports on vacancies 
   in mental health professional positions in Department of Veterans 
                      Affairs medical facilities.

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

SECTION 1. QUARTERLY REPORTS ON VACANCIES IN MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 
              POSITIONS AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL 
              FACILITIES.

    (a) Quarterly Reports Required.--Subchapter I of chapter 74 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:
``Sec. 7412. Quarterly reports on vacancies in mental health 
              professional positions
    ``(a) Reports Required.--(1) Not later than 30 days after the last 
day of a fiscal quarter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report describing any vacancy in a mental health professional position 
at any medical facility of the Department. In each such report, the 
Secretary shall indicate, for each such vacancy, the Veterans 
Integrated Service Network to which the facility with the vacancy is 
assigned.
    ``(2) For purposes of this section, the term `mental health 
professional' includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, 
marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional mental health 
counselors.
    ``(b) Termination.--No report shall be required to be submitted 
under this section after December 31, 2014.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to 
subchapter I the following new item:

``7412. Quarterly reports on vacancies in mental health professional 
                            positions.''.
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