119-s1911

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1911 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1911

 To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 
to codify the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget 
 Office, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 22, 2025

 Mr. Ricketts introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on the Budget

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 
to codify the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget 
 Office, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Equipping And Lending 
Technical Help Panel Act'' or the ``HEALTH Panel Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PANEL OF HEALTH ADVISORS.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``

SEC. 204. PANEL OF HEALTH ADVISORS.

 ``

    (a) In General.--The Panel of Health Advisors (in this section 
referred to as the `Panel') shall be within the Congressional Budget 
Office.
 ``

    (b) Duties and Priority Target Areas.--
 ``

    (1) Duties.--The Panel shall--
 ``
        (A) provide technical and functional expertise 
 and recommendations to the Congressional Budget Office 
 to improve the office's studies, analysis, and cost 
 estimates related to health and health care issues and 
 policies;
 ``
        (B) meet at least once annually; and
 ``
            (C) issue an annual report to the chair and 
 ranking minority members of the Committee on the Budget 
 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
 the Budget of the Senate which--
 ``
            (i) details the work of the Panel and 
 includes such recommendations as have been 
 approved by a vote of at least 9 members of the 
 Panel and provided to the Congressional Budget 
 Office; and
 ``
            (ii) includes a description prepared by 
 the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
 detailing how the office utilized any such 
 recommendations provided under clause
            (i) and 
 the extent to which any such recommendations 
 were integrated into the office's studies and 
 cost estimates.
 ``

    (2) Priority target areas.--For the purposes of this 
 section, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in 
 consultation with the chairs and ranking minority members of 
 the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives and 
 the Committee on the Budget of the Senate, as well as members 
 on the Panel, shall determine priorities to address in meetings 
 of the Panel, and the report detailed under paragraph

    (1)
            (C) . 
 The Panel shall provide expertise and recommendations under 
 paragraph

    (1) with specific respect to the following areas:
 ``
        (A) Non-economic and economic studies on health 
 and health care issues and policies developed by the 
 Congressional Budget Office.
 ``
        (B) Official cost estimates prepared by the 
 Congressional Budget Office for proposed health care 
 legislation.
 ``
            (C) Models developed and utilized by the 
 Congressional Budget Office to project non-economic and 
 economic impacts of health care policy changes and 
 legislation.
 ``
            (D) Health care components of the Congressional 
 Budget Office's annual Budget and Economic Outlook 
 publications, Federal Health Subsidies for Health 
 Insurance reports, Health Insurance Coverage 
 Projections, and other official publications related to 
 health and health care by the Congressional Budget 
 Office.
 ``

    (3) Publication.--The Director of the Congressional 
 Budget Office shall publish, on the Office's public website, 
 the annual report prepared pursuant to paragraph

    (1)
            (C) .
 ``

    (4) Ethical disclosure; confidentiality.--The Director of 
 the Congressional Budget Office may establish--
 ``
        (A) a system for public disclosure by members of 
 the Panel related to potential conflicts of interest 
 relating to such members; and
 ``
        (B) confidentiality agreements with members of 
 the Panel to protect information obtained by the 
 Government on a confidential basis to inform official 
 work products and confidential congressional requests 
 for analytical reports and budgetary scoring estimates.
 ``
            (c) Membership.--
 ``

    (1) Number and appointment.--The membership of the Panel 
 shall include 15 members appointed not later than 90 days after 
 the date of the enactment of this section, of which--
 ``
        (A) 3 members shall be appointed by the chair of 
 the Committee on the Budget of the House of 
 Representatives;
 ``
        (B) 3 members shall be appointed by the ranking 
 minority member of the Committee on the Budget of the 
 House of Representatives;
 ``
            (C) 3 members shall be appointed by the chair of 
 the Committee on the Budget of the Senate;
 ``
            (D) 3 members shall be appointed by the ranking 
 minority member of the Committee on the Budget of the 
 Senate; and
 ``
        (E) 3 members shall be appointed by the Director 
 of the Congressional Budget Office.
 ``

    (2) Qualifications.--The membership of the Panel shall 
 aim to include, but not be limited to, individuals with 
 national recognition for their expertise in health finance and 
 economics, actuarial science, health facility management, life 
 sciences and drug development, investment in health care 
 companies, health plans and integrated delivery systems, 
 reimbursement of health facilities, allopathic and osteopathic 
 physicians, and other providers of health services, Medicare, 
 Medicaid, and other related fields.
 ``

    (3) Special government employees.--Members of the Panel 
 shall serve as special Government employees (as defined in 
 

section 202

    (a) of title 18, United States Code).
 ``
            (d) Terms.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The terms of the members of the Panel 
 shall be for 3 years, except that the Director of the 
 Congressional Budget Office shall designate staggered terms of 
 the members first appointed.
 ``

    (2) Vacancies.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--A vacancy in the Panel shall be 
 filled in the manner in which the original appointment 
 was made.
 ``
        (B) Term of member appointed to fill vacancy.--
 Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before 
 the expiration of the term for which the member's 
 predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for 
 the remainder of that term, except that a member may 
 serve after the expiration of that member's term until 
 a successor has taken office.
 ``

    (3) Chair; vice chair.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The Director of the 
 Congressional Budget Office shall designate a member of 
 the Panel, at the time of appointment of the member, as 
 chair and a member as vice chair for that term of 
 appointment, except that in the case of vacancy of the 
 chair or vice chair, the Director of the Congressional 
 Budget Office may designate another member for the 
 remainder of that member's term.
 ``
        (B) Requirements.--The chair and vice chair shall 
 be appointed by the Director of the Congressional 
 Budget Office--
 ``
            (i) after considering recommendations 
 received from the chairs of the Committee on 
 the Budget of the House of Representatives and 
 the Committee on the Budget of the Senate;
 ``
            (ii) without regard to political 
 affiliation; and
 ``
            (iii) solely on the basis of their 
 fitness to perform their duties.
 ``

    (4) Limits.--Members of the Panel shall be limited to two 
 3-year terms, for a total of not to exceed 6 years of service 
 on the Panel. For purposes of this paragraph, any year of 
 service on the Panel by a person appointed to fill a vacancy 
 under paragraph

    (2) shall be included in determining the number 
 of years that such person has served on the Panel.''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to 

section 203 the 
following:

``204. Panel of Health Advisors.''.
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