[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[S. 3491 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
2d Session
S. 3491
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to improve the effectiveness of
rural health care support under section 254(h) of that Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 16, 2008
Mr. Stevens (for himself, Mr. Inouye, and Mr. Smith) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to improve the effectiveness of
rural health care support under section 254(h) of that Act.
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 ``Telehealth for America Act of
2008''.
SEC. 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES TO RURAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
Section 254(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(A)--
(A) by striking ``telecommunications services'' and
inserting ``telecommunications services, advanced
telecommunications services and information services,
and network management services''; and
(B) by striking ``reasonably comparable to rates
charged'' and inserting ``up to 60 percent less than
rates charged''; and
(2) in paragraph (7)(B)(vi), by striking ``clinics; and''
and inserting ``clinics and any rural health care provider,
including any--
``(I) private physician office or
clinic;
``(II) nursing home or other long-
term care facility;
``(III) emergency medical service
facility or location;
``(IV) residential substance abuse
treatment facility;
``(V) hospice service facility;
``(VI) home health agency;
``(VII) blood bank;
``(VIII) social service agency;
``(IX) Alaska Native, tribal, or
Native Hawaiian regional or local non-
profit organization providing health-
related services or training;
``(X) pharmacy;
``(XI) dental clinic;
``(XII) behavioral health facility;
``(XIII) facility deemed eligible
by the Department of Veterans Affairs
to provide health care services to
veterans; or
``(XIV) community center,
vocational rehabilitation center, or
youth center offering health-related
services or training; and''.
SEC. 3. INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) In General.--To ensure the integrity and accountability of all
programs established under section 254 of the Communications Act of
1934 (47 U.S.C. 254), the Federal Communications Commission, in
consultation with the Administrator of the Universal Service
Administrative Company, shall, not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, report to Congress on--
(1) the nature and effectiveness of the fiscal controls and
accountability standards that are applied to programs under
section 254 as of the date of enactment of this Act;
(2) the performance goals for programs under section 254
that are used by the Commission as of the date of enactment of
this Act to determine how efficiently and cost-effectively the
Universal Service Administrative Company spends funds pursuant
to its operation of all universal service programs; and
(3) what steps, if any, should be taken to strengthen the
fiscal controls, accountability standards, and performance
goals for programs under section 254 and whether the Federal
Communications Commission requires additional statutory
authority to implement such steps.
(b) No Effect on Schools and Libraries.--Except as provided in
subsection (a), nothing in this Act (or the amendments made by this
Act) shall be construed as limiting, changing, modifying, or altering
the amount of support or means of distribution of support under section
254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) for schools and
libraries.
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