text: SECTION 1. MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL CENTERS.
  
      (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United 
  States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
  ``Sec. 7319. Mental illness research, education, and clinical centers
      ``(a) The purpose of this section is to improve the provision of 
  health-care services and related counseling services to eligible 
  veterans suffering from mental illness, especially mental illness 
  related to service-related conditions, through research (including 
  research on improving mental health service facilities of the 
  Department and on improving the delivery of mental health services by 
  the Department), education and training of personnel, and the 
  development of improved models and systems for the furnishing of mental 
  health services by the Department.
      ``(b)(1) In order to carry out the purpose of this section, the 
  Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health 
  and pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, shall--
              ``(A) designate not more than five health-care facilities 
          of the Department as the locations for a center of research on 
          mental health services, on the use by the Department of 
          specific models for furnishing such services, on education and 
          training, and on the development and implementation of 
          innovative clinical activities and systems of care with respect 
          to the delivery of such services by the Department; and
              ``(B) subject to the appropriation of funds for such 
          purpose, establish and operate such centers at such locations 
          in accordance with this section.
      ``(2) The Secretary shall designate at least one facility under 
  paragraph (1) not later than January 1, 1996.
      ``(3) The Secretary shall, upon the recommendation of the Under 
  Secretary for Health, ensure that the facilities designated for centers 
  under paragraph (1) are located in various geographic regions.
      ``(4) The Secretary may not designate any health-care facility as a 
  location for a center under paragraph (1) unless--
              ``(A) the peer review panel established under paragraph (5) 
          has determined under that paragraph that the proposal submitted 
          by such facility as a location for a new center under this 
          subsection is among those proposals which have met the highest 
          competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit; and
              ``(B) the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under 
          Secretary for Health, determines that the facility has 
          developed (or may reasonably be anticipated to develop)--
                      ``(i) an arrangement with an accredited medical 
                  school which provides education and training in 
                  psychiatry and with which the facility is affiliated 
                  under which arrangement residents receive education and 
                  training in psychiatry through regular rotation through 
                  the facility so as to provide such residents with 
                  training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental 
                  illness;
                      ``(ii) an arrangement with an accredited graduate 
                  school of psychology under which arrangement students 
                  receive education and training in clinical, counseling, 
                  or professional psychology through regular rotation 
                  through the facility so as to provide such students 
                  with training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental 
                  illness;
                      ``(iii) an arrangement under which nursing, social 
                  work, or allied health personnel receive training and 
                  education in mental health care through regular 
                  rotation through the facility;
                      ``(iv) the ability to attract scientists who have 
                  demonstrated creativity and achievement in research--
                               ``(I) into the evaluation of innovative 
                          approaches to the design of mental health 
                          services; or
                              ``(II) into the causes, prevention, and 
                          treatment of mental illness;
                      ``(v) a policymaking advisory committee composed of 
                  appropriate mental health-care and research personnel 
                  of the facility and of the affiliated school or schools 
                  to advise the directors of the facility and the center 
                  on policy matters pertaining to the activities of the 
                  center during the period of the operation of the 
                  center; and
                      ``(vi) the capability to evaluate effectively the 
                  activities of the center, including activities relating 
                  to the evaluation of specific efforts to improve the 
                  quality and effectiveness of mental health services 
                  provided by the Department at or through individual 
                  facilities.
      ``(5)(A) In order to provide advice to assist the Under Secretary 
  for Health and the Secretary to carry out their responsibilities under 
  this section, the official within the Central Office of the Veterans 
  Health Administration responsible for mental health and behavioral 
  sciences matters shall establish a panel to assess the scientific and 
  clinical merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the 
  establishment of new centers under this subsection.
      ``(B) The membership of the panel shall consist of experts in the 
  fields of mental health research, education and training, and clinical 
  care. Members of the panel shall serve as consultants to the Department 
  for a period of no longer than six months.
      ``(C) The panel shall review each proposal submitted to the panel 
  by the official referred to in subparagraph (A) and shall submit its 
  views on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such 
  proposal to that official.
      ``(D) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory 
  Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
      ``(c) Clinical and scientific investigation activities at each 
  center may compete for the award of funding from amounts appropriated 
  for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research 
  account and shall receive priority in the award of funding from such 
  account insofar as funds are awarded to projects and activities 
  relating to mental illness.
      ``(d) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that at least 
  three centers designated under subsection (b)(1)(A) emphasize research 
  into means of improving the quality of care for veterans suffering from 
  mental illness through the development of community-based alternatives 
  to institutional treatment for such illness.
      ``(e) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that useful 
  information produced by the research, education and training, and 
  clinical activities of the centers established under subsection (b)(1) 
  is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health Administration through 
  publications and through programs of continuing medical and related 
  education provided through regional medical education centers under 
  subchapter VI of chapter 74 of this title and through other means.
      ``(f) The official within the Central Office of the Veterans Health 
  Administration responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences 
  matters shall be responsible for supervising the operation of the 
  centers established pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
      ``(g)(1) There are authorized to be appropriated for the Department 
  of Veterans Affairs for the basic support of the research and education 
  and training activities of the centers established pursuant to 
  subsection (b)(1) the following:
              ``(A) $3,125,000 for fiscal year 1996.
              ``(B) $6,250,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 
          1999.
      ``(2) In addition to the funds available under the authorization of 
  appropriations in paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health shall 
  allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated generally for 
  the Department of Veterans Affairs medical care account and the 
  Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research account 
  such amounts as the Under Secretary for Health determines appropriate 
  in order to carry out the purposes of this section.''.
      (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
  chapter 73 of such title is amended by adding at the end of the matter 
  relating to subchapter II the following:
  
  ``7319. Mental illness research, education, and clinical centers.''.
      (c) Reports.--Not later than February 1 of each of 1997, 1998, and 
  1999, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees 
  on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a 
  report on the status and activities during the previous fiscal year of 
  the mental illness, research, education, and clinical centers 
  established pursuant to section 7319 of title 38, United States Code 
  (as added by subsection (a)). Each such report shall contain the 
  following:
              (1) A description of--
                      (A) the activities carried out at each center and 
                  the funding provided for such activities;
                      (B) the advances made at each center in research, 
                  education and training, and clinical activities 
                  relating to mental illness in veterans; and
                      (C) the actions taken by the Under Secretary for 
                  Health pursuant to subsection (d) of such section (as 
                  so added) to disseminate useful information derived 
                  from such activities throughout the Veterans Health 
                  Administration.
              (2) The Secretary's evaluations of the effectiveness of the 
          centers in fulfilling the purposes of the centers.
target: Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to:  (1) designate not more than five facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs as locations for centers of mental health services research, education and training, and the development and implementation of innovative clinical activities and systems of care with respect to the delivery of such services by the Department; (2) subject to appropriations, establish and operate such centers; (3) designate one such center by January 1, 1996; and (4) ensure that such centers are located in various geographic regions. 
  Requires the official within the Central Office of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) responsible for mental health and behavioral science matters to establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted to the Secretary for the establishment of new centers.  Requires at least three centers to emphasize research into improving the quality of care provided to mentally ill veterans through the development of community-based alternatives to institutional treatment. 
  Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Department to ensure that useful information produced by activities at the centers is disseminated throughout the VHA.  Authorizes appropriations.  Requires reports.
feat_title: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the establishment in the Department of Veterans Affairs of mental illness research, education, and clinical centers, and for other purposes.