,i  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iagh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #be1 #bjbd,mr4 
,zinke 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bost1 ,mr4   
,van ,orden1 and ,mr4 ,ciscomani7       
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to improve access of health care        
providers of the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs to prescription drug 
monitoring programs1 and for other      
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,veteran            
,prescription ,safety ,improvement ,act4
  #b4 ,prescription drug monitoring     
programs and the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,expansion of   
access of health care providers of the  
,department ,section #agcj;,b of title  
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended--
 7#a7 in subsection 7a77#a71 by striking
 to covered patients2 and  7#b7 in      
subsection 7c71 by striking paragraph   

7#c7 and inserting the following3  7#c7 
,the term licensed health care provider 
means a health care provider who is--   
7,a7 an employee or contractor of the   
,department2 and  7,b7 licensed1        
certified1 or registered by a ,state to 
fill or prescribe medication within the 
scope of practice for the ,department4  
4  7b7 ,guidance and training  7#a7 ,in 
general ,such section is further amended
 by striking subsection 7b7 and         
inserting the following3  7b7 ,guidance 
and training  7#a7 ,the ,secretary shall
 issue guidance to pharmacy personnel of
 the ,department 7including licensed    
health care providers7 that prescribes  
best practices for conducting a query   
described in subsection 7a7 upon receipt
 of a prescription for a controlled     
substance from a health care provider   
who provides health care to a veteran   
under section #agjc of this title4  7#b7
 ,the ,secretary shall provide such     
pharmacy personnel with annual training 
on-- 7,a7 best practices prescribed     

under paragraph 7#a72 and  7,b7 the     
requirements of ,state and regional     
prescription drug monitoring programs4  
4  7#b7 ,implementation ,the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out   
subsection 7b7 of such section1 as      
amended by this subsection1 not later   
than one year after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act4  7c7 ,authorized
 disclosure of information ,subsection  
7l7 of section #egja of such title is   
amended to read as follows3  7l7 ,under 
regulations prescribed the ,secretary1  
the ,secretary may disclose information 
about an individual to a ,state         
controlled substance monitoring program1
 including a program approved by the    
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services under section #cii,o of the   
,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #bhj;g-#c74  4