HR 2846119th CongressIntroduced

To amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries).

Introduced: Apr 10, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-Pennsylvania)

Defense & National Security

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would change the Public Health Service Act to treat leave governed by Title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 40 (Leave) as an additional right or privilege for commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (PHS) and their beneficiaries. In effect, it would extend the Army’s leave framework to PHS Commissioned Corps officers, aligning their leave rights with those afforded to Army officers and their families. The bill would also repeal a current PHS provision (Section 219) to remove the older leave authority in favor of this cross-reference to Chapter 40 Leave. The measure was introduced in the House on April 10, 2025, by Rep. Houlahan (joined by Rep. Bacon) and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The text provided shows the key change is a new reference to Chapter 40, Leave in the list of rights and privileges for PHS officers, along with the removal of the previous provision. No funding or implementation details are specified in the text.

Key Points

1Adds Chapter 40, Leave (Title 10 U.S.C.) to the list of rights and privileges for Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers.
2Repeals Section 219 of the Public Health Service Act to remove the prior leave authority and replace it with the Chapter 40 Leave framework.
3Establishes parity by applying the Army leave framework to PHS officers and their beneficiaries.
4Clarifies that the leave rights apply to both officers and their beneficiaries (e.g., family members).
5Does not include explicit new funding; would require administrative implementation consistent with cross-agency policy changes.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and their beneficiaries (families), who would gain access to leave rights modeled on Army leave policies.Secondary group/area affected: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and entities employing the PHS Commissioned Corps, which would need to adjust leave policies, records, and administration to align with Chapter 40 Leave.Additional impacts: Potential effects on staffing, scheduling, and mission readiness within PHS activities; potential administrative and bookkeeping changes to payroll/benefits systems to reflect Chapter 40 Leave entitlements. No explicit funding changes are indicated in the text.

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