[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5260 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5260
To provide that any reduction in the hours of operation of Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center emergency rooms may be implemented
only after notice is provided to Congress and a period of 180 days has
elapsed.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 2, 2006
Mr. Bradley of New Hampshire (for himself and Mr. Bass) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that any reduction in the hours of operation of Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center emergency rooms may be implemented
only after notice is provided to Congress and a period of 180 days has
elapsed.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. HOURS OF OPERATION AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL
CENTER EMERGENCY ROOMS.
(a) Finding.--The Congress finds that the emergency rooms of the
Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers play a critical role in
providing immediate and lifesaving care to the Nation's population of
veterans of service in the Armed Forces.
(b) Notice-and-Wait Requirement.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
may not implement a reduction in the hours of operation at an emergency
room of any Department of Veterans Affairs medical center until--
(1) the Secretary submits to Congress notice in writing of
the proposed change, together with an explanation of the
reasons for the change; and
(2) a period of 180 days has passed after the date on which
the notice under paragraph (1) is submitted.
(c) Requirement.--If following submission of notice under
subsection (b), access to emergency care at any Department of Veterans
Affairs medical center is curtailed, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall take such steps as necessary to ensure that an alternative is
available to veterans served by that medical center so that such
veterans continue to receive immediate access to quality care without
creating a new financial burden.
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