SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
TITLE I—PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Sec. 101. Amendments to Public Health Service Act.
Sec. 102. Promoting the diffusion and interoperability of information tech-
nology systems involved with health care delivery.
Sec. 103. Required use of product identification technology.
Sec. 104. Grants for electronic prescription programs.
Sec. 105. Grants to hospitals and other health care providers for information
technologies.
Sec. 106. Authorization of appropriations for grants under sections 104 and
105.
TITLE II—MEDICAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY
BOARD.
Sec. 201. Medical Information Technology Advisory Board.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds as follows:
(1) In 1999, the Institute of Medicine released
a report entitled ‘‘To Err Is Human’’ that described
medical errors as the 8th leading cause of death in
the United States, with as many as 98,000 people
dying as a result of medical errors each year.
(2) To address these deaths and injuries due to
medical errors, the health care system must identify
and learn from such errors so that systems of care
can be improved.
(3) Myriad public and private patient safety ini-
tiatives have begun. The Quality Interagency Coordi-
nation Task Force has recommended steps to im-
prove patient safety that may be taken by each Fed-
eral agency involved in health care and activities re-
lating to these steps are ongoing.
(4) The Department of Health and Human
Services has initiated several patient safety projects.
The 
Joint 
Commission 
on 
Accreditation 
of
Healthcare Organizations issued a patient safety
standard that went into effect on July 1, 2001, and
the peer review organizations are conducting ongoing
studies of clinical performance measurement of care
delivered to beneficiaries under the medicare pro-
gram under title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
(5) Several steps can be taken now to improve
patient safety. For example, according to the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention, hand wash-
ing is the single most important means of preventing
the spread of infection. Repeated studies indicate
that lack of or improper hand washing still contrib-
utes significantly to disease transmission in health
care settings. Working with experts from the private
sector, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion has drafted ‘‘Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in
Healthcare Settings’’ setting forth recommendations
to promote improved hand hygiene practices and re-
duce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to
patients and personnel in health care settings.
(6) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, nosocomial infections affect ap-
proximately 2 million patients annually in acute care
facilities in the United States at an estimated direct
patient care cost of approximately $3.5 billion each
year.
(7) The Congress encourages the continuation
and acceleration of private sector efforts to take im-
mediate steps to improve patient safety and recog-
nizes the need for action in the public sector to com-
plement these efforts.
(8) The research on patient safety unequivo-
cally calls for a learning environment, where pro-
viders will feel safe to report health care errors, in
order to improve patient safety.
(9) Voluntary data gathering systems are more
supportive than mandatory systems in creating the
learning environment referred to in paragraph (8) as
stated in the Institute of Medicine’s report.
(10) Promising patient safety reporting systems
have been established throughout the United States,
and the best ways to structure and use these sys-
tems are currently being determined, largely through
projects funded by the Agency for Healthcare Re-
search and Quality.
(11) Many organizations currently collecting
patient safety information have expressed a need for
protections that will allow them to review protected
information so that they may collaborate in the de-
velopment and implementation of patient safety im-
provement strategies. Currently, the State peer re-
view protections provide inadequate conditions to
allow the sharing of information to promote patient
safety.
(12) In 2001, the Institute of Medicine released
a report entitled ‘‘Crossing the Quality Chasm’’ that
found that the United States health care system
does not consistently deliver high-quality care to pa-
tients.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to encourage a culture of safety and quality
in the United States health care system by providing
for a health care errors reporting system that both
protects information and improves patient safety
and quality of health care; and
(2) to ensure accountability by raising stand-
ards and expectations for continuous quality im-
provements in patient safety through the actions of
the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
TITLE I—PATIENT SAFETY AND
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
SEC. 101. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IX of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 912(c), by inserting ‘‘, in accord-
ance with part C,’’ after ‘‘The Director shall’’;
(2) by redesignating part C as part D;
(3) by redesignating sections 921 through 928,
as sections 931 through 938, respectively;
(4) in section 938(1) (as so redesignated), by
striking ‘‘921’’ and inserting ‘‘931’’; and
(5) by inserting after part B the following:
‘‘PART C—PATIENT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT
‘‘SEC. 921. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘In this part:
‘‘(1) IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.—The term
‘identifiable information’ means information that is
presented in a form and manner that allows the
identification of any provider, patient, or reporter of
patient safety work product. With respect to pa-
tients, such information includes any individually
identifiable health information as that term is de-
fined in the regulations promulgated pursuant to
section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–
191; 110 Stat. 2033).
‘‘(2) NONIDENTIFIABLE
INFORMATION.—The
term ‘nonidentifiable information’ means informa-
tion that is presented in a form and manner that
prevents the identification of any provider, patient,
or reporter of patient safety work product. With re-
spect to patients, such information must be de-iden-
tified consistent with the regulations promulgated
pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public
Law 104–191; 110 Stat. 2033).
‘‘(3) PATIENT SAFETY EVALUATION SYSTEM.—
The term ‘patient safety evaluation system’ means a
process that involves the collection, management, or
analysis of information for submission to or by a pa-
tient safety organization.
‘‘(4) PATIENT
SAFETY
ORGANIZATION.—The
term ‘patient safety organization’ means a private or
public organization or component thereof that is cer-
tified, through a process to be determined by the
Secretary under section 925, to perform each of the
following activities:
‘‘(A) The conduct, as the organization or
component’s primary activity, of efforts to im-
prove patient safety and the quality of health
care delivery.
‘‘(B) The collection and analysis of patient
safety work product that is submitted by pro-
viders.
‘‘(C) The development and dissemination
of evidence-based information to providers with
respect to improving patient safety, such as rec-
ommendations, protocols, or information re-
garding best practices.
‘‘(D) The utilization of patient safety work
product to carry out activities limited to those
described under this paragraph and for the pur-
poses of encouraging a culture of safety and of
providing direct feedback and assistance to pro-
viders to effectively minimize patient risk.
‘‘(E) The maintenance of confidentiality
with respect to identifiable information.
‘‘(F) The provision of appropriate security
measures with respect to patient safety work
product.
‘‘(G) The submission of nonidentifiable in-
formation to the Agency consistent with stand-
ards established by the Secretary under section
923(b) for any National Patient Safety Data-
base.
‘‘(5) PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT.—
‘‘(A) The term ‘patient safety work prod-
uct’ means any document or communication
(including any information, report, record,
memorandum, analysis, deliberative work, state-
ment, or root cause analysis) that—
‘‘(i) except as provided in subpara-
graph (B), is developed by a provider for
the purpose of reporting to a patient safety
organization, and is reported to a patient
safety organization;
‘‘(ii) is created by a patient safety or-
ganization; or
‘‘(iii) would reveal the deliberations or
analytic process of a patient safety evalua-
tion system (as defined in paragraph (3)).
‘‘(B)(i) Patient safety work product de-
scribed in subparagraph (A)(i)—
‘‘(I) does not include any separate in-
formation described in clause (ii); and
‘‘(II) shall not be construed to include
such separate information merely by rea-
son of inclusion of a copy of the document
or communication involved in a submission
to, or the fact of submission of such a copy
to, a patient safety organization.
‘‘(ii) Separate information described in this
clause is a document or communication (includ-
ing a patient’s medical record or any other pa-
tient or hospital record) that is developed or
maintained, or exists, separately from any pa-
tient safety evaluation system.
‘‘(C) Information available from sources
other than a patient safety work product under
this section may be discovered or admitted in a
civil or administrative proceeding, if discover-
able or admissible under applicable law.
‘‘(6) PROVIDER.—The term ‘provider’ means—
‘‘(A) an individual or entity licensed or
otherwise authorized under State law to provide
health care services, including—
‘‘(i) a hospital, nursing facility, com-
prehensive outpatient rehabilitation facil-
ity, home health agency, and hospice pro-
gram;
‘‘(ii) a physician, physician assistant,
nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist,
certified nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist,
psychologist, certified social worker, reg-
istered dietitian or nutrition professional,
physical or occupational therapist, or other
individual health care practitioner;
‘‘(iii) a pharmacist; and
‘‘(iv) a renal dialysis facility, ambula-
tory surgical center, pharmacy, physician
or health care practitioner’s office, long-
term care facility, behavioral health resi-
dential treatment facility, clinical labora-
tory, or community health center; or
‘‘(B) any other person or entity specified
in regulations by the Secretary after public no-
tice and comment.
‘‘SEC. 922. PRIVILEGE FOR PATIENT SAFETY WORK PROD-
UCT.
‘‘(a) PRIVILEGE.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law and subject to subsection (c), patient safety
work product shall not be—
‘‘(1) subject to a civil or administrative sub-
poena or order;
‘‘(2) subject to discovery in connection with a
civil or administrative proceeding;
‘‘(3) subject to disclosure pursuant to section
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known
as the Freedom of Information Act), or any other
similar Federal or State law;
‘‘(4) required to be admitted as evidence or oth-
erwise disclosed in any State or Federal civil or ad-
ministrative proceeding; or
‘‘(5) if the patient safety work product is identi-
fiable information and is received by a national ac-
creditation organization in its capacity as a patient
safety organization—
‘‘(A) used by a national accreditation orga-
nization in an accreditation action against the
provider that reported the information;
‘‘(B) shared by such organization with its
survey team; or
‘‘(C) required as a condition of accredita-
tion by a national accreditation association.
‘‘(b) REPORTER PROTECTION.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A provider may not use
against an individual in an adverse employment ac-
tion described in paragraph (2) the fact that the in-
dividual in good faith reported information—
‘‘(A) to the provider with the intention of
having the information reported to a patient
safety organization; or
‘‘(B) directly to a patient safety organiza-
tion.
‘‘(2) ADVERSE
EMPLOYMENT
ACTION.—For
purposes of this subsection, an ‘adverse employment
action’ includes—
‘‘(A) the failure to promote an individual
or provide any other employment-related benefit
for which the individual would otherwise be eli-
gible;
‘‘(B) an adverse evaluation or decision
made in relation to accreditation, certification,
credentialing, or licensing of the individual; and
‘‘(C) a personnel action that is adverse to
the individual concerned.
‘‘(3) REMEDIES.—Any provider that violates
this subsection shall be subject to a civil monetary
penalty of not more than $20,000 for each such vio-
lation involved. Such penalty shall be imposed and
collected in the same manner as civil money pen-
alties under subsection (a) of section 1128A of the
Social Security Act are imposed and collected.
‘‘(c) DISCLOSURES.—Nothing in this section pro-
hibits any of the following disclosures:
‘‘(1) Voluntary disclosure of nonidentifiable in-
formation.
‘‘(2) Voluntary disclosure of identifiable infor-
mation by a provider or patient safety organization,
if such disclosure—
‘‘(A) is authorized by the provider for the
purposes of improving quality and safety;
‘‘(B) is to an entity or person subject to
the requirements of section 264(c) of the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191; 110 Stat.
2033), or any regulation promulgated under
such section; and
‘‘(C) is not in conflict with such section or
any regulation promulgated under such section.
‘‘(3) Disclosure as required by law by a pro-
vider to the Food and Drug Administration, or on
a voluntary basis by a provider to a federally estab-
lished patient safety program, with respect to an Ad-
ministration-regulated product or activity for which
that entity has responsibility, for the purposes of ac-
tivities related to the quality, safety, or effectiveness
of such Administration-regulated product or activity.
1996 (Public Law 104–191; 110 Stat. 2033), or any
regulation promulgated under such section, for the
same disclosure.
‘‘(3) AMOUNT.—Any person who violates para-
graph (1) shall be subject to a civil monetary penalty
of not more than $10,000 for each such violation in-
volved. Such penalty shall be imposed and collected
in the same manner as civil money penalties under
subsection (a) of section 1128A of the Social Secu-
rity Act are imposed and collected.
‘‘(4) SUBSEQUENT
DISCLOSURE.—Paragraph
(1) applies only to the first person that breaches
confidentiality with respect to particular patient
safety work product.
‘‘(f) RELATION TO HIPAA.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of applying
the regulations promulgated pursuant to section
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Ac-
countability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191; 110
Stat. 2033)—
‘‘(A) patient safety organizations shall be
treated as business associates; and
‘‘(B) activities of such organizations de-
scribed in section 921(4) in relation to a pro-
vider are deemed to be health care operations
(as defined in such regulations) of the provider.
‘‘(2) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in
this section shall be construed to alter or affect the
implementation of such regulations or such section
264(c).
‘‘(g) NO LIMITATION
OF OTHER PRIVILEGES.—
Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect privi-
leges, including peer review and confidentiality protec-
tions, that are otherwise available under Federal or State
laws.
‘‘(h) NO LIMITATION ON CONTRACTS.—Nothing in
this section shall be construed to limit the power of a pro-
vider and a patient safety organization, or a patient safety
organization and the Agency or any National Patient
Safety Database, consistent with the provisions of this Act
and other applicable law, to enter into a contract requiring
greater confidentiality or delegating authority to make an
authorized disclosure.
‘‘(i) RELATION
TO STATE REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Nothing in this part shall be construed as pre-
empting or otherwise affecting any State law requiring a
provider to report information, including information de-
scribed in section 921(5)(B), that is not patient safety
work product.
‘‘(j) CONTINUATION OF PRIVILEGE.—Patient safety
work product of an organization that is certified as a pa-
tient safety organization shall continue to be privileged
and confidential, in accordance with this section, if the or-
ganization’s certification is terminated or revoked or if the
organization otherwise ceases to qualify as a patient safety
organization.
‘‘(k) REPORTS ON STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE PA-
TIENT SAFETY.—
‘‘(1) DRAFT REPORT.—Not later than the date
that is 18 months after any National Patient Safety
Database is operational, the Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Director, shall prepare a draft report
on effective strategies for reducing medical errors
and increasing patient safety. The draft report shall
include any measure determined appropriate by the
Secretary to encourage the appropriate use of such
strategies, including use in any federally funded pro-
grams. The Secretary shall make the draft report
available for public comment and submit the draft
report to the Institute of Medicine for review.
‘‘(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year
after the date described in paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall submit a final report to the Congress
that includes, in an appendix, any findings by the
Institute of Medicine concerning research on the
strategies discussed in the draft report and any
modifications made by the Secretary based on such
findings.
‘‘SEC. 923. NATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY DATABASE.
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In conducting activities
under this part, the Secretary shall provide for the
establishment and maintenance of a database to re-
ceive relevant nonidentifiable patient safety work
product, and may designate entities to collect rel-
evant nonidentifiable patient safety work product
that is voluntarily reported by patient safety organi-
zations upon the request of the Secretary. Any data-
base established or designated under this paragraph
may be referred to as a ‘National Patient Safety
Database’.
‘‘(2) USE OF INFORMATION.—Information re-
ported to any National Patient Safety Database
shall be used to analyze national and regional statis-
tics, including trends and patterns of health care er-
rors. The information resulting from such analyses
may be included in the annual quality reports pre-
pared under section 913(b)(2).
‘‘(3) ADVISORY
ROLE.—The Secretary shall
provide scientific support to patient safety organiza-
tions, including the dissemination of methodologies
and evidence-based information related to root
causes and quality improvement.
‘‘(b) STANDARDS.—In establishing or designating a
database under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall, in
consultation with representatives of patient safety organi-
zations, the provider community, and the health informa-
tion technology industry, determine common formats for
the voluntary reporting of nonidentifiable patient safety
work product, including necessary elements, common and
consistent definitions, and a standardized computer inter-
face for the processing of the work product. To the extent
practicable, such standards shall be consistent with the
administrative simplification provisions of part C of title
XI of the Social Security Act.
‘‘(c) CERTAIN METHODOLOGIES FOR COLLECTION.—
The Secretary shall ensure that the methodologies for the
collection of nonidentifiable patient safety work product
for any National Patient Safety Database include the
methodologies developed or recommended by the Patient
Safety Task Force of the Department of Health and
Human Services.
‘‘(d) FACILITATION OF INFORMATION EXCHANGE.—
To the extent practicable, the Secretary may facilitate the
direct link of information between providers and patient
safety organizations and between patient safety organiza-
tions and any National Patient Safety Database.
‘‘(e) RESTRICTION ON TRANSFER.—Only nonidentifi-
able information may be transferred to any National Pa-
tient Safety Database.
‘‘SEC. 924. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through
the Director, may—
‘‘(1) provide technical assistance to patient
safety organizations, and to States with reporting
systems for health care errors; and
‘‘(2) provide guidance on the type of data to be
voluntarily submitted to any National Patient Safety
Database.
‘‘(b) 
ANNUAL
MEETINGS.—Assistance 
provided
under subsection (a) may include annual meetings for pa-
tient safety organizations to discuss methodology, commu-
nication, information collection, or privacy concerns.
‘‘SEC. 925. CERTIFICATION OF PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZA-
TIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of the Patient Safety and Quality
Improvement Act, the Secretary shall establish a process
for certifying patient safety organizations.
‘‘(b) PROCESS.—The process established under sub-
section (a) shall include the following:
‘‘(1) Certification of patient safety organiza-
tions by the Secretary or by such other national or
State governmental organizations as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
‘‘(2) If the Secretary allows other governmental
organizations to certify patient safety organizations
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish a
process for approving such organizations. Any such
approved organization shall conduct certifications
and reviews in accordance with this section.
‘‘(3) A review of each certification under para-
graph (1) (including a review of compliance with
each criterion in this section and any related imple-
menting standards as determined by the Secretary
through rulemaking) not less often than every 3
years, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(4) Revocation of any such certification by the
Secretary or other such governmental organization
that issued the certification, upon a showing of
cause.
‘‘(c) CRITERIA.—A patient safety organization must
meet the following criteria as conditions of certification:
‘‘(1) The mission of the patient safety organiza-
tion is to conduct activities that are to improve pa-
tient safety and the quality of health care delivery
and is not in conflict of interest with the providers
that contract with the patient safety organization.
‘‘(2) The patient safety organization has appro-
priately qualified staff, including licensed or certified
medical professionals.
‘‘(3) The patient safety organization, within any
2 year period, contracts with more than 1 provider
for the purpose of receiving and reviewing patient
safety work product.
‘‘(4) The patient safety organization is not a
component of a health insurer or other entity that
offers a group health plan or health insurance cov-
erage.
‘‘(5) The patient safety organization is man-
aged, controlled, and operated independently from
any provider that contracts with the patient safety
organization for reporting patient safety work prod-
uct.
‘‘(6) To the extent practical and appropriate,
the patient safety organization collects patient safety
work product from providers in a standardized man-
ner that permits valid comparisons of similar cases
among similar providers.
‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT ORGA-
NIZATIONS.—If a patient safety organization is a compo-
nent of another organization, the patient safety organiza-
tion must, in addition to meeting the criteria described
in subsection (c), meet the following criteria as conditions
of certification:
‘‘(1) The patient safety organization maintains
patient safety work product separately from the rest
of the organization, and establishes appropriate se-
curity measures to maintain the confidentiality of
the patient safety work product.
‘‘(2) The patient safety organization does not
make an unauthorized disclosure under this Act of
patient safety work product to the rest of the orga-
nization in breach of confidentiality.
‘‘(3) The mission of the patient safety organiza-
tion does not create a conflict of interest with the
rest of the organization.’’.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
937 of the Public Health Service Act (as redesignated by
subsection (a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(e) PATIENT SAFETY
AND QUALITY IMPROVE-
MENT.—For the purpose of carrying out part C, there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec-
essary for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008.’’.
SEC. 102. PROMOTING THE DIFFUSION AND INTEROPER-
ABILITY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYS-
TEMS INVOLVED WITH HEALTH CARE DELIV-
ERY.
(a) VOLUNTARY STANDARDS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall—
(A) develop or adopt voluntary national
standards that promote the interoperability of
information technology systems involved with
health care delivery, including but not limited to
computerized physician order entry;
(B) in developing or adopting such stand-
ards, take into account—
(i) the ability of such systems to cap-
ture and aggregate clinically specific data
to enable evidence-based medicine and
other applications that promote the elec-
tronic exchange of patient medical record
information; and
(ii) the cost that meeting such stand-
ards would have on providing health care
in the United States and the increased effi-
ciencies in providing such care achieved
under the standards;
(C) in developing or adopting such stand-
ards and to the extent practicable, test the effi-
cacy, usability, and scalability of proposed inter-
operability standards within a variety of clinical
settings, including an urban academic medical
center, a rural hospital, a community health
center, and a community hospital; and
(D) submit a report to the Congress con-
taining recommendations on such standards.
(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing or adopting
standards under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary
shall consider the recommendations of the National
Committee on Vital Health Statistics for the stand-
ardization of message formatting, coding, and vocab-
ulary for interoperability of information technology
systems involved with health care delivery. The Sec-
retary shall consult with representatives of the
health information technology industry and the pro-
vider community who are involved with the develop-
ment of interoperability standards.
(b) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall provide for the
ongoing review and periodic updating of the standards de-
veloped under subsection (a).
SEC. 103. REQUIRED USE OF PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
TECHNOLOGY.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 502, by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(w) If it is a drug or biological product, unless it
includes a unique product identifier for the drug or bio-
logical product as required by regulations under section
510(q).’’; and
(2) in section 510, by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(q)(1) The Secretary shall issue, and may periodi-
cally revise, regulations requiring the manufacturer of any
drug or biological product that is subject to regulation by
the Food and Drug Administration, or the packager or
labeler of a drug or biological product that is subject to
regulation by the Food and Drug Administration, to in-
clude a unique product identifier on the packaging of the
drug or biological product.
activities as the MITAB determines to be necessary
to carry out its duties.
‘‘(2) DETAIL OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Upon
the request of the MITAB, the head of any Federal
agency is authorized to detail, without reimburse-
ment, any of the personnel of such agency to the
MITAB to assist the MITAB in carrying out its du-
ties. Any such detail shall not interrupt or otherwise
affect the civil service status or privileges of the
Federal employee.
‘‘(3) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—Upon the re-
quest of the MITAB, the head of a Federal agency
shall provide such technical assistance to the
MITAB as the MITAB determines to be necessary
to carry out its duties.
‘‘(4) OBTAINING INFORMATION.—The MITAB
may secure directly from any Federal agency infor-
mation necessary to enable it to carry out its duties,
if the information may be disclosed under section
552 of title 5, United States Code. Upon request of
the Chairman of the MITAB, the head of such agen-
cy shall furnish such information to the MITAB.
‘‘(f) TERMINATION.—The MITAB shall terminate 30
days after the date of submission of its final report under
subsection (c)(2)(B).