H. R. 3590—477 
(B) make recommendations to Congress and the 
Administration concerning national health care workforce 
priorities, goals, and policies; 
(C) by not later than October 1 of each year (beginning 
with 2011), submit a report to Congress and the Adminis-
tration containing the results of such reviews and rec-
ommendations concerning related policies; and 
(D) by not later than April 1 of each year (beginning 
with 2011), submit a report to Congress and the Adminis-
tration containing a review of, and recommendations on, 
at a minimum one high priority area as described in para-
graph (4). 
(3) SPECIFIC TOPICS TO BE REVIEWED.—The topics described 
in this paragraph include— 
(A) current health care workforce supply and distribu-
tion, including demographics, skill sets, and demands, with 
projected demands during the subsequent 10 and 25 year 
periods; 
(B) health care workforce education and training 
capacity, including the number of students who have com-
pleted 
education 
and 
training, 
including 
registered 
apprenticeships; the number of qualified faculty; the edu-
cation and training infrastructure; and the education and 
training demands, with projected demands during the sub-
sequent 10 and 25 year periods; 
(C) the education loan and grant programs in titles 
VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
292 et seq. and 296 et seq.), with recommendations on 
whether such programs should become part of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq); 
(D) the implications of new and existing Federal poli-
cies which affect the health care workforce, including Medi-
care and Medicaid graduate medical education policies, 
titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 292 et seq. and 296 et seq.), the National Health 
Service Corps (with recommendations for aligning such 
programs with national health workforce priorities and 
goals), and other health care workforce programs, including 
those supported through the Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), the Carl D. Perkins 
Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
2301 et seq.), the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001 et seq.), and any other Federal health care workforce 
programs; 
(E) the health care workforce needs of special popu-
lations, such as minorities, rural populations, medically 
underserved populations, gender specific needs, individuals 
with disabilities, and geriatric and pediatric populations 
with recommendations for new and existing Federal policies 
to meet the needs of these special populations; and 
(F) recommendations creating or revising national loan 
repayment programs and scholarship programs to require 
low-income, minority medical students to serve in their 
home communities, if designated as medical underserved 
community. 
(4) HIGH PRIORITY AREAS.—
H. R. 3590—478 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The initial high priority topics 
described in this paragraph include each of the following: 
(i) Integrated health care workforce planning that 
identifies health care professional skills needed and 
maximizes the skill sets of health care professionals 
across disciplines. 
(ii) An analysis of the nature, scopes of practice, 
and demands for health care workers in the enhanced 
information technology and management workplace. 
(iii) An analysis of how to align Medicare and 
Medicaid graduate medical education policies with 
national workforce goals. 
(iv) The education and training capacity, projected 
demands, and integration with the health care delivery 
system of each of the following: 
(I) Nursing workforce capacity at all levels. 
(II) Oral health care workforce capacity at all 
levels. 
(III) Mental and behavioral health care 
workforce capacity at all levels. 
(IV) Allied health and public health care 
workforce capacity at all levels. 
(V) Emergency medical service workforce 
capacity, including the retention and recruitment 
of the volunteer workforce, at all levels. 
(VI) The geographic distribution of health care 
providers as compared to the identified health care 
workforce needs of States and regions. 
(B) FUTURE DETERMINATIONS.—The Commission may 
require that additional topics be included under subpara-
graph (A). The appropriate committees of Congress may 
recommend to the Commission the inclusion of other topics 
for health care workforce development areas that require 
special attention. 
(5) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Commission shall— 
(A) review implementation progress reports on, and 
report to Congress about, the State Health Care Workforce 
Development Grant program established in section 5102; 
(B) in collaboration with the Department of Labor and 
in coordination with the Department of Education and 
other relevant Federal agencies, make recommendations 
to the fiscal and administrative agent under section 5102(b) 
for grant recipients under section 5102; 
(C) assess the implementation of the grants under 
such section; and 
(D) collect performance and report information, 
including identified models and best practices, on grants 
from the fiscal and administrative agent under such section 
and distribute this information to Congress, relevant Fed-
eral agencies, and to the public. 
(6) STUDY.—The Commission shall study effective mecha-
nisms for financing education and training for careers in health 
care, including public health and allied health. 
(7) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Commission shall submit rec-
ommendations to Congress, the Department of Labor, and the 
Department of Health and Human Services about improving
H. R. 3590—479 
safety, health, and worker protections in the workplace for 
the health care workforce. 
(8) ASSESSMENT.—The Commission shall assess and receive 
reports from the National Center for Health Care Workforce 
Analysis established under section 761(b) of the Public Service 
Health Act (as amended by section 5103). 
(e) CONSULTATION WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENCIES, 
CONGRESS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall consult with Fed-
eral agencies (including the Departments of Health and Human 
Services, Labor, Education, Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, 
and Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection 
Agency), Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commis-
sion, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, 
and, to the extent practicable, with State and local agencies, 
Indian tribes, voluntary health care organizations, professional 
societies, and other relevant public-private health care partner-
ships. 
(2) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission, consistent 
with established privacy rules, may secure directly from any 
department or agency of the Executive Branch information 
necessary to enable the Commission to carry out this section. 
(3) DETAIL
OF
FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES.—An 
employee of the Federal Government may be detailed to the 
Commission without reimbursement. The detail of such an 
employee shall be without interruption or loss of civil service 
status. 
(f) DIRECTOR AND STAFF; EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—Subject 
to such review as the Comptroller General of the United States 
determines to be necessary to ensure the efficient administration 
of the Commission, the Commission may— 
(1) employ and fix the compensation of an executive director 
that shall not exceed the rate of basic pay payable for level 
V of the Executive Schedule and such other personnel as may 
be necessary to carry out its duties (without regard to the 
provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appoint-
ments in the competitive service); 
(2) seek such assistance and support as may be required 
in the performance of its duties from appropriate Federal 
departments and agencies; 
(3) enter into contracts or make other arrangements, as 
may be necessary for the conduct of the work of the Commission 
(without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 
U.S.C. 5)); 
(4) make advance, progress, and other payments which 
relate to the work of the Commission; 
(5) provide transportation and subsistence for persons 
serving without compensation; and 
(6) prescribe such rules and regulations as the Commission 
determines to be necessary with respect to the internal 
organization and operation of the Commission. 
(g) POWERS.— 
(1) DATA COLLECTION.—In order to carry out its functions 
under this section, the Commission shall— 
(A) utilize existing information, both published and 
unpublished, where possible, collected and assessed either 
by its own staff or under other arrangements made in
H. R. 3590—480 
accordance with this section, including coordination with 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics; 
(B) carry out, or award grants or contracts for the 
carrying out of, original research and development, where 
existing information is inadequate, and 
(C) adopt procedures allowing interested parties to 
submit information for the Commission’s use in making 
reports and recommendations. 
(2) ACCESS OF THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 
TO
INFORMATION.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall have unrestricted access to all deliberations, 
records, and data of the Commission, immediately upon request. 
(3) PERIODIC AUDIT.—The Commission shall be subject to 
periodic audit by an independent public accountant under con-
tract to the Commission. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) REQUEST FOR APPROPRIATIONS.—The Commission shall 
submit requests for appropriations in the same manner as 
the Comptroller General of the United States submits requests 
for appropriations. Amounts so appropriated for the Commis-
sion shall be separate from amounts appropriated for the Comp-
troller General. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. 
(3) GIFTS AND SERVICES.—The Commission may not accept 
gifts, bequeaths, or donations of property, but may accept and 
use donations of services for purposes of carrying out this 
section. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) HEALTH
CARE
WORKFORCE.—The term ‘‘health care 
workforce’’ includes all health care providers with direct patient 
care and support responsibilities, such as physicians, nurses, 
nurse practitioners, primary care providers, preventive medi-
cine physicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, physician 
assistants, pharmacists, dentists, dental hygienists, and other 
oral healthcare professionals, allied health professionals, doc-
tors of chiropractic, community health workers, health care 
paraprofessionals, direct care workers, psychologists and other 
behavioral and mental health professionals (including sub-
stance abuse prevention and treatment providers), social 
workers, physical and occupational therapists, certified nurse 
midwives, podiatrists, the EMS workforce (including profes-
sional and volunteer ambulance personnel and firefighters who 
perform emergency medical services), licensed complementary 
and alternative medicine providers, integrative health practi-
tioners, public health professionals, and any other health 
professional that the Comptroller General of the United States 
determines appropriate. 
(2) HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS.—The term ‘‘health profes-
sionals’’ includes— 
(A) dentists, dental hygienists, primary care providers, 
specialty physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician 
assistants, psychologists and other behavioral and mental 
health professionals (including substance abuse prevention 
and treatment providers), social workers, physical and 
occupational therapists, public health professionals, clinical