[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6015. Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself and Ms. Rosen) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in title VII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 7__. INTEROPERABLE CREDENTIALING AND PRIVILEGING SYSTEM 
                   OR SYSTEMS FOR MEDICAL PROVIDERS OF DEPARTMENT 
                   OF DEFENSE AND DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the 
     Domestic Policy Council, shall jointly submit to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress a report on the medical 
     provider credentialing and privileging systems in use by the 
     Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include each of the following:
       (A) A description of the scope and scale of the medical 
     provider credentialing and privileging systems in use by the 
     Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (B) A description of the type of data stored on each 
     system.
       (C) A description of the portability of provider 
     credentialing and privileging information under each system.
       (D) A description of the interoperability between provider 
     credentialing systems.
       (E) A description of the risk management system, adverse 
     actions, cross-agency stewardship responsibilities, 
     auditability, and governance of each system.
       (F) A description of the limitations and gaps in the 
     interoperability, implementation, and administration of each 
     system.
       (G) Recommendations for scaling each system and addressing 
     gaps in the interoperability and administration of each 
     system, or using a new system, with the goal of achieving an 
     interoperable system or systems to be used by both the 
     Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Selection.--Not later than January 1, 2027, the 
     Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
     in consultation with the Domestic Policy Council, shall 
     jointly consider appropriate systems in use or not in use by 
     the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs to serve as an interoperable credentialing and 
     privileging system or systems for both the Department of 
     Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (c) Capability of Systems.--The Secretary of Defense and 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the 
     credentialing and privileging system or systems selected 
     under subsection (b) have the capability to import and share 
     provider credentialing and privileging information, including 
     governance information, audit information, data stewardship 
     information necessary to support privileging decisions, and 
     any other necessary information related thereto.
       (d) Certification of Implementation.--
       (1) Credentialing systems.--Not later than January 1, 2028, 
     the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of 
     Congress a written certification that the interoperable 
     credentialing system or systems selected under subsection (b) 
     have been implemented and are operational.
       (2) Privileging systems.--Not later than January 1, 2029, 
     the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of 
     Congress a written certification that the interoperable 
     privileging system or systems selected under subsection (b) 
     have been implemented and are operational.
       (e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
                                 ______