H.R. 9605 — Less Bureaucracy, Better Foreign Medical Accreditation Act

This section transfers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services all functions previously exercised by the Secretary of Education relating to the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation, an advisory panel under the Higher Education Act that evaluates foreign medical schools for federal student aid eligibility.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exercise all authorities previously available to the Secretary of Education when performing any function transferred under the Act.

This section transfers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations associated with functions transferred under this Act. Unexpended funds transferred under this section may be used only for the purposes for which they were originally authorized and appropriated.

This section directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure the Act produces no net increase in full-time equivalent employees at affected Federal agencies, measured against levels on the date of enactment. It authorizes the Director to determine transferred functions and make incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, and unexpended balances, to terminate the affairs of all entities ended by the Act, and to certify compliance with these requirements to the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on the effective date.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delegate transferred functions to designated officers and employees of the Department, with successive redelegations permitted as needed. The Secretary remains responsible for administration of all such functions.

This section deems references to the Secretary of Education and the Department of Education in any federal law, executive order, rule, regulation, delegation of authority, or related document to refer instead to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Department of Health and Human Services, respectively, for functions transferred under section 2.

This section preserves the validity of all orders, determinations, rules, regulations, permits, grants, loans, contracts, agreements, certificates, licenses, and privileges issued before the transfer of functions from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services. It continues pending proceedings and suits without abatement, substitutes the Secretary of Health and Human Services as a party where required, and applies existing administrative and judicial review procedures to the transferred functions.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use Department of Education personnel, assets, and appropriated funds beginning on the date of enactment for the period reasonably needed to implement the orderly transfer of functions under this Act.

This section delays the effective date of the Act to 6 months after the date of enactment, except as provided in section 9. It permits transfers of functions under section 2 or other provisions to begin on the date of enactment but no later than the effective date.