I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2787 
To provide grants to States for health care tribunals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 10, 2009 
Mr. THORNBERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide grants to States for health care tribunals, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medical Liability Pro-
cedural Reform Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR HEALTH CARE TRIBUNALS. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General 
may award grants to States for the development, imple-
mentation, and evaluation of health care tribunals. 
(b) DURATION.—The Attorney General may award 
up to 7 grants under subsection (a) and each grant award-
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mon definitions, formats, data collection infrastructure, 
and other guidance from the Attorney General pertaining 
to health care tribunals. 
(f) EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 
enter into a contract with an appropriate research 
organization to conduct an overall evaluation of the 
effectiveness of grants awarded under subsection (a) 
and to annually prepare and submit a report to the 
appropriate committees of Congress. Such an eval-
uation shall begin not later than 18 months fol-
lowing the date of implementation of the first pro-
gram funded by a grant under subsection (a). 
(2) CONTENTS.—The evaluation under para-
graph (1) shall include an analysis of the effect of 
the grants awarded under subsection (a) on— 
(A) the number, nature, and costs of 
health care liability claims; 
(B) the liability environment; 
(C) health care quality; and 
(D) patient safety. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) HEALTH
CARE
TRIBUNAL.—The term 
‘‘health care tribunal’’ means a trial court or admin-
istrative tribunal— 
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(A) the sole function of which is the adju-
dication of disputes over injuries allegedly 
caused by health care providers; 
(B) to which all or a portion of such dis-
putes within a jurisdiction are assigned; 
(C) the decisions of which are final, bind-
ing, and appealable; and 
(D) the judges for which have health care 
expertise and render decisions about the stand-
ard of care in dispute adjudication, with reli-
ance on independent expert witnesses commis-
sioned by such court or tribunal. 
(2) HEALTH
CARE
PROVIDER.—The term 
‘‘health care provider’’ means any individual or enti-
ty licensed, registered, or certified under Federal or 
State laws or regulations to provide health care serv-
ices, but does not include any manufacturer of drugs 
or devices. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary. Amounts appropriated 
pursuant to this subsection shall remain available until ex-
pended. 
Æ 
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