Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 116 Part 3.djvu/435

 note. PUBLIC LAW 107-287—NOV. 7, 2002 116 STAT. 2027 "(2) In addition to funds appropriated for a fiscal year specifically for the activities of the centers pursuant to paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health shall allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated for that fiscal year generally for the Department medical care account and the Department medical and prosthetics research account such amounts as the Under Secretary determines appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section. Any determination by the Under Secretary under the preceding sentence shall be made in consultation with the Assistant Secretary with responsibility for operations, preparedness, security, and law enforcement functions. "(3) There are authorized to be appropriated for the centers under this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2007.". (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7324 the following new item: "7325. Medical emergency preparedness centers.". (b) PEER REVIEW FOR DESIGNATION OF CENTERS. — (1) In order Establishment. to assist the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Under Secretary 38 USC 7325 of Veterans Affairs for Health in selecting sites for centers under section 7325 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the designation of such centers. The peer review panel shall be established in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs with responsibility for operations, preparedness, security, and law enforcement functions. (2) The peer review panel shall include experts in the fields of toxicological research, infectious diseases, radiology, clinical care of patients exposed to such hazards, and other persons as determined appropriate by the Secretary. Members of the panel shall serve as consultants to the Department of Veterans Affairs. (3) The panel shall review each proposal submitted to the panel by the officials referred to in paragraph (1) and shall submit to the Under Secretary for Health its views on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such proposal. The panel shall specifically determine with respect to each such proposal whether that proposal is among those proposals which have met the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit. (4) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). SEC. 3. EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS ON MEDICAL RESPONSES TO CONSEQUENCES OF TERRORIST ACTIVI- TIES. (a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 7325, as added by section 2(a)(1), the following new section: response to consequences of terrorist activities "(a) EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall carry out a program to develop and disseminate a series of model education and training programs on the medical responses to the consequences of terrorist activities.
 * '§7326. Education and training programs on medical

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