To provide funding for telehealth programs.

SA 2193. Mr. THUNE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 3010, making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other proposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. TELEHEALTH.

From amounts appropriated under this Act for the general appropriations for the Health Resources and Services Administration, there shall be transferred $10,000,000 to carry out programs and activities under the Health Care Safety Net Amendments of 2002 (Public Law 107-251) and the amendments made by such Act, and for other telehealth programs under section 330I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-14), of which--

(1) $2,500,000 shall be for not less than 10 telehealth resource centers that provide assistance with respect to technical, legal, and regulatory service delivery or other related barriers to the deployment of telehealth technologies, of which not less than 2 centers shall be located in a rural State with a population of less than 1,000,000 individuals;

(2) $5,000,000 shall be for network grants and demonstration or pilot projects for telehomecare; and

(3) $2,500,000 shall be for grants to carry out programs under which health licensing boards or various States cooperate to develop and implement policies that will reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telehealth.