instruction:
In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
question:
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. was born on October 8, 1941, 
        in Greenville, South Carolina.
            (2) In 1965 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. joined the civil rights 
        movement full-time, beginning his activism as a student leader 
        in the sit-in movement and continuing as a young organizer for 
        the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as an assistant to 
        Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
            (3) On June 30, 1968, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. became an 
        ordained minister, having attended the Chicago Theological 
        Seminary.
            (4) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. served as the national director 
        for Operation Breadbasket and, in 1971 in Chicago, Illinois, 
        founded People United to Save Humanity, known as PUSH.
            (5) In 1984 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. founded the National 
        Rainbow Coalition, a national social justice organization 
        devoted to political empowerment and to expanding educational 
        and employment opportunities for disadvantaged people and for 
        communities of color.
            (6) In 1996 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. merged the National 
        Rainbow Coalition and PUSH to continue the philosophies of both 
        organizations and to maximize their resources.
            (7) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is, and has been for more than 30 
        years, one of the foremost political figures in the United 
        States, playing a pivotal role in virtually every movement for 
        human rights, civil rights, peace, gender equality, 
        empowerment, and economic and social justice.
            (8) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. has been and continues to be 
        counted on to serve as a champion and spokesman for a segment 
        of the population whose voices all too often are not heard.
            (9) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. has been called the ``conscience 
        of the Nation'' and the ``great unifier'', challenging the 
        United States to establish just and humane priorities.
            (10) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. has led a myriad of successful 
        delegations, marches, and missions for justice, peace, and 
        reconciliation.
            (11) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is a highly respected world 
        leader who has acted on many occasions as an international 
        diplomat.
            (12) In 1984 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. secured the release of a 
        captured Navy pilot, Lieutenant Robert Goodman, who was shot 
        down over Lebanon. He also negotiated the release of 22 
        Americans and 26 Cubans in Cuba during 1984.
            (13) In 1990 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. won the release of 
        hundreds of foreign nationals, including 47 Americans, being 
        held in Iraq and Kuwait by Saddam Hussein.
            (14) In October 1997 Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. was appointed by 
        President William Jefferson Clinton and by Secretary of State 
        Madeleine K. Albright as the Special Envoy of the President and 
        the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in 
        Africa.
            (15) On May 2, 1999, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. obtained the 
        negotiated release of Army Specialist Steven M. Gonzales and 
        Staff Sergeants Christopher J. Stone and Andrew Ramirez, 3 
        United States soldiers who had spent 32 days in captivity in 
        Yugoslavia as prisoners of war and hostages.
            (16) Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. has dedicated his life to the 
        principles of freedom, peace, justice, international good will, 
        and the struggle for civil rights and equality for Americans 
        and for all peoples, at home and abroad.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design 
to Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. in recognition of his outstanding and enduring 
contributions to the Nation.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, 
to be determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriation.--Effective February 1, 1999, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $30,000 to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    (a) Striking and Sale.--The Secretary of the Treasury may strike 
and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2 
under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, 
use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold 
medal.
    (b) Reimbursement of Appropriation.--The appropriation used to 
carry out section 2 shall be reimbursed out of the proceeds of sales 
under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

    The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes 
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
answer:
Authorizes the President to present to Jesse L. Jackson, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to the Nation. 
Authorizes appropriations.


question:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Genetically Engineered Food Right-
to-Know Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE AND FINDINGS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a consistent 
and enforceable standard for labeling of foods produced using genetic 
engineering, including fish, thereby providing consumers with knowledge 
of how their food is produced.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the process of genetically engineering food organisms 
        results in material changes to food derived from those 
        organisms;
            (2) the Food and Drug Administration requires the labeling 
        of more than 3,000 ingredients, additives, and processes;
            (3) individuals in the United States have a right to know 
        if their food was produced with genetic engineering for a 
        variety of reasons, including health, economic, environmental, 
        religious, and ethical;
            (4) more than 60 countries, including the United Kingdom 
        and all other countries of the European Union, South Korea, 
        Japan, Brazil, Australia, India, China, and other key United 
        States trading partners have laws or regulations mandating 
        disclosure of genetically engineered food on food labels;
            (5) in 2011, Codex Alimentarius, the food standards 
        organization of the United Nations, adopted a text that 
        indicates that governments can decide on whether and how to 
        label foods produced with genetic engineering; and
            (6) mandatory identification of food produced with genetic 
        engineering can be a critical method of preserving the economic 
        value of exports or domestically sensitive markets with 
        labeling requirements for genetically engineered foods.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT.

    (a) In General.--Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(z)(1) If it is a food that has been genetically engineered or 
contains 1 or more genetically engineered ingredients, unless such 
information is clearly disclosed, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(2) This paragraph does not apply to food that--
            ``(A) is served in restaurants or other similar eating 
        establishments, such as cafeterias and carryouts;
            ``(B) is a medical food (as defined in section 5(b) of the 
        Orphan Drug Act);
            ``(C) is a food that would be subject to this paragraph 
        solely because it was produced using a genetically engineered 
        vaccine; or
            ``(D) is a food or processed food that would be subject to 
        this paragraph solely because it includes the use of a 
        genetically engineered processing aid (including yeast) or 
        enzyme.
    ``(3) In this paragraph:
            ``(A) The term `genetic engineering' means a process 
        involving the application of--
                    ``(i) in vitro nucleic acid techniques, including 
                recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and direct 
                injection of nucleic acid into cells or organelles; or
                    ``(ii) fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family 
                that--
                            ``(I) overcome natural physiological 
                        reproductive or recombinant barriers; and
                            ``(II) are not techniques used in 
                        traditional breeding and selection.
            ``(B) The term `genetically engineered', used with respect 
        to a food, means a material intended for human consumption that 
        is--
                    ``(i) an organism that is produced through the 
                intentional use of genetic engineering; or
                    ``(ii) the progeny of intended sexual or asexual 
                reproduction (or both) of 1 or more organisms that is 
                the product of genetic engineering.
            ``(C) The term `genetically engineered ingredient' means a 
        material that is an ingredient in a food that is derived from 
        any part of an organism that has been genetically engineered, 
        without regard to whether--
                    ``(i) the altered molecular or cellular 
                characteristics of the organism are detectable in the 
                material; and
                    ``(ii) the organism is capable for use as human 
                food.''.
    (b) Guaranty.--
            (1) In general.--Section 303(d) of the Federal Food, Drug, 
        and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 333(d)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``(d)'' and inserting ``(d)(1)''; 
                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2)(A) No person shall be subject to the penalties of 
        subsection (a)(1) for a violation of subsection (a), (b), or 
        (c) of section 301 involving food that is misbranded within the 
        meaning of section 403(z) if such person (referred to in this 
        paragraph as the `recipient') establishes a guaranty or 
        undertaking that--
                    ``(i) is signed by, and contains the name and 
                address of, a person residing in the United States from 
                whom the recipient received in good faith the food 
                (including the receipt of seeds to grow raw 
                agricultural commodities); and
                    ``(ii) contains a statement to the effect that the 
                food is not genetically engineered or does not contain 
                a genetically engineered ingredient.
            ``(B) In the case of a recipient who, with respect to a 
        food, establishes a guaranty or undertaking in accordance with 
        subparagraph (A), the exclusion under such subparagraph from 
        being subject to penalties applies to the recipient without 
        regard to the manner in which the recipient uses the food, 
        including whether the recipient is--
                    ``(i) processing the food;
                    ``(ii) using the food as an ingredient in a food 
                product;
                    ``(iii) repacking the food; or
                    ``(iv) growing, raising, or otherwise producing the 
                food.
            ``(C) No person may avoid responsibility or liability for a 
        violation of subsection (a), (b), or (c) of section 301 
        involving food that is misbranded within the meaning of section 
        403(z) by entering into a contract or other agreement that 
        specifies that another person shall bear such responsibility or 
        liability, except that a recipient may require a guaranty or 
        undertaking as described in this subsection.
            ``(D) In this subsection, the terms `genetically 
        engineered' and `genetically engineered ingredient' have the 
        meanings given the terms in section 403(z).''.
            (2) False guaranty.--Section 301(h) of the Federal Food, 
        Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331(h)) is amended by 
        inserting ``or 303(d)(2)'' after ``section 303(c)(2)''.
    (c) Unintended Contamination.--Section 303(d) of the Federal Food, 
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 333(d)), as amended by subsection 
(b), is further amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3)(A) No person shall be subject to the penalties of 
        subsection (a)(1) for a violation of subsection (a), (b), or 
        (c) of section 301 involving food that is misbranded within the 
        meaning of section 403(z) if--
                    ``(i) such person is an agricultural producer and 
                the violation occurs because food that is grown, 
                raised, or otherwise produced by such producer, which 
                food does not contain a genetically engineered material 
                and was not produced with a genetically engineered 
                material, is contaminated with a food that contains a 
                genetically engineered material or was produced with a 
                genetically engineered material; and
                    ``(ii) such contamination is not intended by the 
                agricultural producer.
            ``(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to an agricultural 
        producer to the extent that the contamination occurs as a 
        result of the negligence of the producer.''.
    (d) Promulgation of Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate proposed 
regulations establishing labeling requirements for compliance in 
accordance with section 403(z) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act, as added by subsection (a).
answer:
Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem misbranded any food that has been genetically engineered or contains one or more genetically engineered ingredients, unless such information is clearly disclosed. Exempts from this requirement any food that: (1) is served in restaurants or other similar eating establishments, (2) is a medical food, (3) would be subject to such requirement solely because it was produced using a genetically engineered vaccine, or (4) would be subject to such requirement solely because it includes the use of a genetically engineered processing aid (including yeast) or enzyme. Defines &quot;genetically engineered&quot; as a material intended for human consumption that is: (1) an organism produced through the intentional use of genetic engineering, or (2) the progeny of intended sexual or asexual reproduction (or both) of one or more organisms that is the product of genetic engineering. Defines &quot;genetically engineered ingredient&quot; as an ingredient in a food that is derived from any part of an organism that has been genetically engineered, without regard to whether: (1) the altered molecular or cellular characteristics of the organism are detectable in the material, and (2) the organism is capable for use as human food. Excludes from penalties for misbranding of genetically engineered food or ingredients any recipient that establishes a guaranty or undertaking that: (1) is signed by, and contains the name and address of, a person residing in the United States from whom the recipient received the food in good faith (including the receipt of seeds to grow raw agricultural commodities); and (2) contains a statement to the effect that the food is not genetically engineered or does not contain a genetically engineered ingredient. Applies this exclusion from penalties without regard to the manner in which the recipient uses the food. Excludes an agricultural producer also from such penalties when a violation occurs because food the producer has grown, raised, or otherwise produced, which neither contains nor was produced with a genetically engineered material, is subsequently contaminated with a food that does contain or was produced with a genetically engineered material, and the agricultural producer has not intended any such contamination nor was negligent in the matter.


question:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Telehealth Validation Act 
of 2001''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF TELEHEALTH SERVICES.

    (a) Expanding Access to Telehealth Services to All Areas.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1834(m), as added by section 
        223(b) of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits 
        Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 2763A-487), 
        as enacted into law by section 1(a)(6) of Public Law 106-554, 
        is amended in paragraph (4)(C)(i) by striking ``and only if 
        such site is located'' and all that follows and inserting 
        ``without regard to the geographic area where the site is 
        located, and includes an entity that participates in a Federal 
        telemedicine demonstration project that has been approved by 
        (or receives funding from) the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services as of December 31, 2000.''.
            (2) Store and forward technology.--Such section is further 
        amended in paragraph (1) by striking ``in the case of any 
        Federal telemedicine demonstration program conducted in Alaska 
        or Hawaii,''.
    (b) Increasing Types of Originating Sites.--Paragraph (4)(C)(ii) of 
such section 1834(m) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subclauses:
                                    ``(VI) A skilled nursing facility 
                                (as defined in section 1819(a)).
                                    ``(VII) An assisted living 
                                facility.
                                    ``(VIII) A board and care facility.
                                    ``(IX) A school.
                                    ``(X) A county mental health 
                                clinic.
                                    ``(XI) The residence of an 
                                individual enrolled under this part.
    (c) Facilitating the Provision of Telehealth Services Across State 
Lines.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of expediting the provision 
        of telehealth services, for which payment is made under the 
        Medicare Program, across State lines, the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services shall, in consultation with representatives 
        of States, physicians, health care practitioners, and patient 
        advocates, encourage and facilitate the adoption of provisions 
        allowing for multistate practitioner licensure across State 
        lines.
            (2) Definitions.--In paragraph (1):
                    (A) Telehealth service.--The term ``telehealth 
                service'' has the meaning given that term in 
                subparagraph (F) of section 1834(m)(4) of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)).
                    (B) Physician, practitioner.--The terms 
                ``physician'' and ``practitioner'' has the meaning 
                given those terms in subparagraphs (D) and (E), 
                respectively, of such section.
                    (C) Medicare program.--The term ``medicare 
                program'' means the program of health insurance 
                administered by the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services under title XVIII of the Social Security Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.).

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TELEHEALTH NETWORKS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration), shall make grants to eligible 
recipients (as described in subsection (b)(1)) for the purpose of 
expanding access to health care services for individuals in rural 
areas, frontier areas, and medically underserved areas through the use 
of telehealth.
    (b) Eligible Recipients.--
            (1) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, an eligible entity described in paragraph (2) 
        shall, in consultation with the State office of rural health or 
        other appropriate State entity, prepare and submit to the 
        Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
        including the following:
                    (A) A description of the anticipated need for the 
                grant.
                    (B) A description of the activities which the 
                entity intends to carry out using amounts provided 
                under the grant.
                    (C) A plan for continuing the project after Federal 
                support under this section is ended.
                    (D) A description of the manner in which the 
                activities funded under the grant will meet health care 
                needs of underserved rural populations within the 
                State.
                    (E) A description of how the local community or 
                region to be served by the network or proposed network 
                will be involved in the development and ongoing 
                operations of the network.
                    (F) The source and amount of non-Federal funds the 
                entity would pledge for the project.
                    (G) A showing of the long-term viability of the 
                project and evidence of health care provider commitment 
                to the network.
        The application should demonstrate the manner in which the 
        project will promote the integration of telehealth in the 
        community so as to avoid redundancy of technology and achieve 
        economies of scale.
            (2) Eligible entities.--An eligible entity described in 
        this paragraph is a hospital or other health care provider in a 
        health care network of community-based health care providers 
        that includes at least two of the organizations described in 
        subparagraph (A) and one of the institutions and entities 
        described in subparagraph (B) if the institution or entity is 
        able to demonstrate use of the network for purposes of 
        education or economic development (as required by the 
        Secretary).
                    (A) The organizations described in this 
                subparagraph are the following:
                            (i) Community or migrant health centers.
                            (ii) Local health departments.
                            (iii) Nonprofit hospitals.
                            (iv) Private practice health professionals, 
                        including community and rural health clinics.
                            (v) Other publicly funded health or social 
                        services agencies.
                            (vi) Skilled nursing facilities.
                            (vii) County mental health and other 
                        publicly funded mental health facilities.
                            (viii) Providers of home health services.
                    (B) The institutions and entities described in this 
                subparagraph are the following:
                            (i) A public school.
                            (ii) A public library.
                            (iii) A university or college.
                            (iv) A local government entity.
                            (v) A local health or nonhealth-related 
                        business entity.
        An eligible entity may include for-profit entities so long as 
        the recipient of the grant is a not-for-profit entity.
    (d) Preference.--The Secretary shall establish procedures to 
prioritize financial assistance under this section based upon the 
following considerations:
            (1) The applicant is a health care provider in a health 
        care network or a health care provider that proposes to form 
        such a network that furnishes or proposes to furnish services 
        in a medically underserved area, health professional shortage 
        area, or mental health professional shortage area.
            (2) The applicant is able to demonstrate broad geographic 
        coverage in the rural or medically underserved areas of the 
        State, or States in which the applicant is located.
            (3) The applicant proposes to use Federal funds to develop 
        plans for, or to establish, telehealth systems that will link 
        rural hospitals and rural health care providers to other 
        hospitals, health care providers, and patients.
            (4) The applicant will use the amounts provided for a range 
        of health care applications and to promote greater efficiency 
        in the use of health care resources.
            (5) The applicant is able to demonstrate the long-term 
        viability of projects through cost participation (cash or in-
        kind).
            (6) The applicant is able to demonstrate financial, 
        institutional, and community support for the long-term 
        viability of the network.
            (7) The applicant is able to provide a detailed plan for 
        coordinating system use by eligible entities so that health 
        care services are given a priority over non-clinical uses.
    (e) Maximum Amount of Assistance to Individual Recipients.--The 
Secretary shall establish, by regulation, the terms and conditions of 
the grant and the maximum amount of a grant award to be made available 
to an individual recipient for each fiscal year under this section. The 
Secretary shall cause to have published in the Federal Register or the 
``HRSA Preview'' notice of the terms and conditions of a grant under 
this section and the maximum amount of such a grant for a fiscal year.
    (f) Use of Amounts.--The recipient of a grant under this section 
may use sums received under such grant for the acquisition of 
telehealth equipment and modifications or improvements of 
telecommunications facilities including the following:
            (1) The development and acquisition through lease or 
        purchase of computer hardware and software, audio and video 
        equipment, computer network equipment, interactive equipment, 
        data terminal equipment, and other facilities and equipment 
        that would further the purposes of this section.
            (2) The provision of technical assistance and instruction 
        for the development and use of such programming equipment or 
        facilities.
            (3) The development and acquisition of instructional 
        programming.
            (4) Demonstration projects for teaching or training medical 
        students, residents, and other health profession students in 
        rural or medically underserved training sites about the 
        application of telehealth.
            (5) The provision of telenursing services designed to 
        enhance care coordination and promote patient self-management 
        skills.
            (6) The provision of services designed to promote patient 
        understanding and adherence to national guidelines for common 
        chronic diseases, such as congestive heart failure or diabetes.
            (7) Transmission costs, maintenance of equipment, and 
        compensation of specialists and referring health care 
        providers.
            (8) Development of projects to use telehealth to facilitate 
        collaboration between health care providers.
            (9) Electronic archival of patient records.
            (10) Collection and analysis of usage statistics and data 
        that can be used to document the cost-effectiveness of the 
        telehealth services.
            (11) Such other uses that are consistent with achieving the 
        purposes of this section as approved by the Secretary.
    (g) Prohibited Uses.--Sums received under a grant under this 
section may not be used for any of the following:
            (1) To acquire real property.
            (2) Expenditures to purchase or lease equipment to the 
        extent the expenditures would exceed more than 40 percent of 
        the total grant funds.
            (3) To purchase or install transmission equipment off the 
        premises of the telehealth site and any transmission costs not 
        directly related to the grant.
            (4) For construction, except that such funds may be 
        expended for minor renovations relating to the installation of 
        equipment.
            (5) Expenditures for indirect costs (as determined by the 
        Secretary) to the extent the expenditures would exceed more 
        than 20 percent of the total grant.
    (h) Administration.--
            (1) Nonduplication.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
        facilities constructed using grants provided under this section 
        do not duplicate adequately established telehealth networks.
            (2) Coordination with other agencies.--The Secretary shall 
        coordinate, to the extent practicable, with other Federal and 
        State agencies and not-for-profit organizations, operating 
        similar grant programs to pool resources for funding 
        meritorious proposals.
            (3) Informational efforts.--The Secretary shall establish 
        and implement procedures to carry out outreach activities to 
        advise potential end users located in rural and medically 
        underserved areas of each State about the program authorized by 
        this section.
    (i) Prompt Implementation.--The Secretary shall take such actions 
as are necessary to carry out the grant program as expeditiously as 
possible.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for fiscal year 
2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2003 through 2008.

SEC. 4. JOINT WORKING GROUP ON TELEMEDICINE.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Representation of rural areas.--The Joint Working Group 
        on Telemedicine shall ensure that individuals that represent 
        the interests of rural areas and medically underserved areas 
        are members of the Group.
            (2) Mission.--The mission of the Joint Working Group on 
        Telemedicine is--
                    (A) to identify, monitor, and coordinate Federal 
                telehealth projects, data sets, and programs;
                    (B) to analyze--
                            (i) how telehealth systems are expanding 
                        access to health care services, education, and 
                        information;
                            (ii) the clinical, educational, or 
                        administrative efficacy and cost-effectiveness 
                        of telehealth applications; and
                            (iii) the quality of the telehealth 
                        services delivered; and
                    (C) to make further recommendations for 
                coordinating Federal and State efforts to increase 
                access to health services, education, and information 
                in rural and medically underserved areas.
            (3) Annual reports.--Not later than two years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act and each January 1 thereafter the 
        Joint Working Group on Telemedicine shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the status of the Group's mission and the state of 
        the telehealth field generally.
    (b) Report Specifics.--The annual report required under subsection 
(a)(3) shall provide--
            (1) an analysis of--
                    (A) the matters described in subsection (a)(3)(B);
                    (B) the Federal activities with respect to 
                telehealth; and
                    (C) the progress of the Joint Working Group on 
                Telemedicine's efforts to coordinate Federal telehealth 
                programs; and
            (2) recommendations for a coordinated Federal strategy to 
        increase health care access through telehealth.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary for the Joint Working Group on 
Telemedicine to carry out this section.
answer:

Medicare Telehealth Validation Act of 2001 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act regarding telehealth services (services furnished via a telecommunication system by a physician to an enrolled individual) to: (1) remove current geographic restrictions on the provision of such services; (2) make eligible for such services an entity that participates in a Federal telemedicine demonstration project approved by or financed through the Secretary of Health and Human Services as of December 31, 2000; (3) add to the facilities authorized to participate in the telehealth program; and (4) direct the Secretary to encourage and facilitate multistate practitioner licensure across State lines to facilitate the program.Directs the Secretary to make grants for expanding access to health care services for individuals in rural areas, frontier areas, and medically underserved areas through the use of telehealth.Requires the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine to ensure that individuals representing the interests of rural and medically underserved areas are members of the Group.