[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 902 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 902

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the authority of the 
          Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire psychiatrists.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2017

 Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. 
 Connolly, Mr. Himes, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Peters, 
  Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Sablan, and Ms. Jenkins of Kansas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

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                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the authority of the 
          Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire psychiatrists.

    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 ``Expedited Hiring for VA Trained 
Psychiatrists Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT OF PSYCHIATRISTS BY VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 7406 the following new section:
``Sec. 7406A. Appointment of certain psychiatrists who complete 
              residencies
    ``(a) In General.--(1) Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary may 
appoint, without regard to civil service or classification laws, a 
psychiatrist who completes a residency under section 7406 of this title 
to a position under section 7401 or 7405 immediately after such 
residency, if the psychiatrist meets the qualifications established in 
regulations prescribed by the Secretary for such position.
    ``(2) The Secretary may begin the process of appointing a 
psychiatrist under paragraph (1) before the psychiatrist completes a 
residency.
    ``(b) Positions Permitted.--The Secretary may appoint a 
psychiatrist under subsection (a) if the position to which the 
psychiatrist is appointed has been unfilled for not less than 35 days 
as of the date of the appointment.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
7406 the following new item:

``7406A. Appointment of certain psychiatrists who complete 
                            residencies.''.
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