Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/2889

 120 STAT. 2858

Deadline.

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

09:16 Jul 13, 2007

PUBLIC LAW 109–417—DEC. 19, 2006

(1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (j) and (k), respectively; (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and inserting the following: ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the Secretary shall link existing State verification systems to maintain a single national interoperable network of systems, each system being maintained by a State or group of States, for the purpose of verifying the credentials and licenses of health care professionals who volunteer to provide health services during a public health emergency. ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The interoperable network of systems established under subsection (a) (referred to in this section as the ‘verification network’) shall include— ‘‘(1) with respect to each volunteer health professional included in the verification network— ‘‘(A) information necessary for the rapid identification of, and communication with, such professionals; and ‘‘(B) the credentials, certifications, licenses, and relevant training of such individuals; and ‘‘(2) the name of each member of the Medical Reserve Corps, the National Disaster Medical System, and any other relevant federally-sponsored or administered programs determined necessary by the Secretary.’’; (3) in subsection (c), strike ‘‘system’’ and insert ‘‘network’’; and (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: ‘‘(d) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Secretary shall ensure that the verification network is electronically accessible by State, local, and tribal health departments and can be linked with the identification cards under section 2813. ‘‘(e) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The Secretary shall establish and require the application of and compliance with measures to ensure the effective security of, integrity of, and access to the data included in the verification network. ‘‘(f) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess the feasibility of integrating the verification network under this section with the VetPro system of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System of the Department of Homeland Security. The Secretary shall, if feasible, integrate the verification network under this section with such VetPro system and the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System. ‘‘(g) UPDATING OF INFORMATION.—The States that are participants in the verification network shall, on at least a quarterly basis, work with the Director to provide for the updating of the information contained in the verification network. ‘‘(h) CLARIFICATION.—Inclusion of a health professional in the verification network shall not constitute appointment of such individual as a Federal employee for any purpose, either under section 2812(c) or otherwise. Such appointment may only be made under section 2812 or 2813. ‘‘(i) HEALTH CARE PROVIDER LICENSES.—The Secretary shall encourage States to establish and implement mechanisms to waive

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