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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9686 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9686

 To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 
to codify the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget 
                    Office, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2024

  Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Burgess) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 
to codify the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget 
                    Office, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Healthy Equipping And Lending 
Technical Help Panel Act'' or the ``HEALTH Panel Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PANEL OF HEALTH ADVISORS.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 204. PANEL OF HEALTH ADVISORS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Panel of Health Advisors (in this section 
referred to as the `Panel') shall be within the Congressional Budget 
Office.
    ``(b) Duties and Priority Target Areas.--
            ``(1) Duties.--The Panel shall--
                    ``(A) provide technical and functional expertise 
                and recommendations to the Congressional Budget Office 
                to improve the office's studies, analysis, and cost 
                estimates related to health and health care issues and 
                policies;
                    ``(B) meet at least once annually; and
                    ``(C) issue an annual report to the chair and 
                ranking minority members of the Committee on the Budget 
                of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
                the Budget of the Senate which--
                            ``(i) details the work of the Panel and 
                        includes such recommendations as have been 
                        approved by a vote of at least 9 members of the 
                        Panel and provided to the Congressional Budget 
                        Office; and
                            ``(ii) includes a description prepared by 
                        the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
                        detailing how the office utilized any such 
                        recommendations provided under clause (i) and 
                        the extent to which any such recommendations 
                        were integrated into the office's studies and 
                        cost estimates.
            ``(2) Priority target areas.--For the purposes of this 
        section, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in 
        consultation with the chairs and ranking minority members of 
        the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives and 
        the Committee on the Budget of the Senate, as well as members 
        on the Panel, shall determine priorities to address in meetings 
        of the Panel, and the report detailed under paragraph (1)(C). 
        The Panel shall provide expertise and recommendations under 
        paragraph (1) with specific respect to the following areas:
                    ``(A) Non-economic and economic studies on health 
                and health care issues and policies developed by the 
                Congressional Budget Office.
                    ``(B) Official cost estimates prepared by the 
                Congressional Budget Office for proposed health care 
                legislation.
                    ``(C) Models developed and utilized by the 
                Congressional Budget Office to project non-economic and 
                economic impacts of health care policy changes and 
                legislation.
                    ``(D) Health care components of the Congressional 
                Budget Office's annual Budget and Economic Outlook 
                publications, Federal Health Subsidies for Health 
                Insurance reports, Health Insurance Coverage 
                Projections, and other official publications related to 
                health and health care by the Congressional Budget 
                Office.
            ``(3) Publication.--The Director of the Congressional 
        Budget Office shall publish, on the Office's public website, 
        the annual report prepared pursuant to paragraph (1)(C).
            ``(4) Ethical disclosure; confidentiality.--The Director of 
        the Congressional Budget Office may establish--
                    ``(A) a system for public disclosure by members of 
                the Panel related to potential conflicts of interest 
                relating to such members; and
                    ``(B) confidentiality agreements with members of 
                the Panel to protect information obtained by the 
                Government on a confidential basis to inform official 
                work products and confidential congressional requests 
                for analytical reports and budgetary scoring estimates.
    ``(c) Membership.--
            ``(1) Number and appointment.--The membership of the Panel 
        shall include 15 members appointed not later than 90 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this section, of which--
                    ``(A) 3 members shall be appointed by the chair of 
                the Committee on the Budget of the House of 
                Representatives;
                    ``(B) 3 members shall be appointed by the ranking 
                minority member of the Committee on the Budget of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    ``(C) 3 members shall be appointed by the chair of 
                the Committee on the Budget of the Senate;
                    ``(D) 3 members shall be appointed by the ranking 
                minority member of the Committee on the Budget of the 
                Senate; and
                    ``(E) 3 members shall be appointed by the Director 
                of the Congressional Budget Office.
            ``(2) Qualifications.--The membership of the Panel shall 
        aim to include, but not be limited to, individuals with 
        national recognition for their expertise in health finance and 
        economics, actuarial science, health facility management, life 
        sciences and drug development, investment in health care 
        companies, health plans and integrated delivery systems, 
        reimbursement of health facilities, allopathic and osteopathic 
        physicians, and other providers of health services, Medicare, 
        Medicaid, and other related fields.
            ``(3) Special government employees.--Members of the Panel 
        shall serve as special Government employees (as defined in 
        section 202(a) of title 18, United States Code).
    ``(d) Terms.--
            ``(1) In general.--The terms of the members of the Panel 
        shall be for 3 years, except that the Director of the 
        Congressional Budget Office shall designate staggered terms of 
        the members first appointed.
            ``(2) Vacancies.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A vacancy in the Panel shall be 
                filled in the manner in which the original appointment 
                was made.
                    ``(B) Term of member appointed to fill vacancy.--
                Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before 
                the expiration of the term for which the member's 
                predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for 
                the remainder of that term, except that a member may 
                serve after the expiration of that member's term until 
                a successor has taken office.
            ``(3) Chair; vice chair.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director of the 
                Congressional Budget Office shall designate a member of 
                the Panel, at the time of appointment of the member, as 
                chair and a member as vice chair for that term of 
                appointment, except that in the case of vacancy of the 
                chair or vice chair, the Director of the Congressional 
                Budget Office may designate another member for the 
                remainder of that member's term.
                    ``(B) Requirements.-- The chair and vice chair 
                shall be appointed by the Director of the Congressional 
                Budget Office--
                            ``(i) after considering recommendations 
                        received from the chairs of the Committees on 
                        the Budget of the House of Representatives and 
                        the Senate;
                            ``(ii) without regard to political 
                        affiliation; and
                            ``(iii) solely on the basis of their 
                        fitness to perform their duties.
            ``(4) Limits.--Members of the Panel shall be limited to two 
        3-year terms, for a total of not to exceed 6 years of service 
        on the Panel. For purposes of this paragraph, any year of 
        service on the Panel by a person appointed to fill a vacancy 
        under paragraph (2) shall be included in determining the number 
        of years that such person has served on the Panel.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 203 the 
following:

``204. Panel of Health Advisors.''.
                                 <all>
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