S.Amdt. 4297

SA 4297. Mr. DONNELLY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2017 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 end of subtitle B of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 740. USE OF INPUT FROM SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IN
DEVELOPING MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER READINESS
DESIGNATION FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

Section 717 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92; 10 U.S.C. 1073 note) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)--
(A) by inserting ``, with input from the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs,'' after ``Secretary of Defense''; and
(B) by striking ``established by the Secretary'' and
inserting ``established by the Secretary of Defense'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, with input from the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs,'' after ``Secretary of
Defense''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``The Secretary shall
update'' and inserting ``The Secretary of Defense shall
update'';

[[Page S3321]]

(3) in subsection (c)(1), by amending subparagraph (B) to
read as follows:
``(B) is not a health care provider of the Department of
Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs at a facility
of the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans
Affairs; and'';
(4) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(5) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsection (c):
``(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall
be construed to permit the Secretary of Defense to indicate
that the Department of Veterans Affairs has certified or
otherwise approved of health care providers with a mental
health provider readiness designation under this section.''.
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