‘‘§ 2013. Authorization of appropriations 
‘‘There 
are 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
$130,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and each subsequent 
fiscal year to carry out this subchapter.’’. 
(2) HOMELESS
VETERAN
SERVICE
PROVIDER 
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.—Section 
2064(b) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2007 through 2012 to carry out the programs 
under this section.’’. 
SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. 
(a) QUALIFICATIONS.—Section 7402(b) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (10) as para-
graph (12); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
‘‘(10) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST.—To be 
eligible to be appointed to a marriage and family therapist 
position, a person shall— 
‘‘(A) hold a master’s degree in marriage and 
family therapy, or a comparable degree in mental 
health, from a college or university approved by the 
Secretary; and 
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‘‘(B) be licensed or certified to independently 
practice marriage and family therapy in a State, ex-
cept that the Secretary may waive the requirement 
of licensure or certification for an individual mar-
riage and family therapist for a reasonable period of 
time recommended by the Under Secretary for 
Health. 
‘‘(11) LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH 
COUNSELORS.—To be eligible to be appointed to a li-
censed professional mental health counselor position, a 
person shall— 
‘‘(A) hold a master’s degree in mental health 
counseling, or a related field, from a college or uni-
versity approved by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(B) be licensed or certified to independently 
practice mental health counseling.’’. 
(b) REPORT ON MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY 
WORKLOAD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under 
Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a re-
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port on the provisions of post-traumatic stress dis-
order treatment by marriage and family therapists. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) the actual and projected workloads in 
facilities of the Veterans Readjustment Coun-
seling Service and the Veterans Health Admin-
istration for the provision of marriage and fam-
ily counseling for veterans diagnosed with, or 
otherwise in need of treatment for, post-trau-
matic stress disorder; 
(B) the resources available and needed to 
support the workload projections described in 
subparagraph (A); 
(C) an assessment by the Under Secretary 
for Health of the effectiveness of treatment by 
marriage and family therapists; and 
(D) recommendations, if any, for improve-
ments in the provision of such counseling treat-
ment. 
SEC. 6. PAY COMPARABILITY FOR CHIEF NURSING OFFI-
CER, OFFICE OF NURSING SERVICES. 
Section 7404 is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘subchapter 
III and in’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (e), sub-
chapter III, and’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(e) The position of Chief Nursing Officer, Office of 
Nursing Services, shall be exempt from the provisions of 
section 7451 of this title and shall be paid at a rate not 
to exceed the maximum rate established for the Senior Ex-
ecutive Service under section 5382 of title 5, as deter-
mined by the Secretary.’’. 
SEC. 7. COST COMPARISON STUDIES. 
(a) STUDIES AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 
8110(a)(5) of title 38, United States Code, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs may conduct studies to 
compare the amount that would be expended if pri-
vate contractors provided specific commercial or in-
dustrial products and services for the Veterans 
Health Administration with the amount that would 
be expended if the Department of Veterans Affairs 
provided such products and services for the Veterans 
Health Administration. 
(2) LIMITATION.—In the course of conducting 
the private-public cost comparison studies under 
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paragraph (1), a private contractor may not receive 
an advantage for a proposal that would reduce costs 
for the Department of Veterans Affairs by— 
(A) not making an employer-sponsored 
health insurance plan available to the workers 
who are to be employed in the performance of 
that activity or function under the contract; or 
(B) offering to such workers an employer- 
sponsored health benefits plan that requires the 
employer to contribute less towards the pre-
mium or subscription share than the amount 
that is paid by the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs for health benefits for civilian employees 
under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code. 
(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated $15,000,000 to carry out para-
graph (1), of which— 
(i) not more than $7,500,000 shall be 
available to evaluate activities that have 
been performed by employees of the Fed-
eral Government; and 
(ii) not more than $7,500,000 shall be 
available to evaluate activities that have 
been performed by private contractors. 
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