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During the reauthorization of the Health Professions Programs
(Title VII of the Public Health Service Act) in the 108th Congress, APA
Education advocacy staff will seek a clear and strong authority for the Graduate
Psychology Education (GPE) Program. This statutory authority would establish
permanence for the GPE program in the current health legislation (i.e., the
Public Health Service Act) and facilitate the quest for annual funding.
During the last reauthorization in 1998 - a process that took
six years to complete - APA Education advocacy staff gained a foothold for a
separate psychology program (e.g., GPE) by spearheading efforts to gain a
section under ”Allied Health and Other Disciplines”. This new section
allowed the Secretary (of Health and Human Services) to fund programs to train
those in “graduate programs of behavioral and mental health” of which
psychology is one. Specifically “health service psychologists” are eligible
for federally supported training.
Since the Senate will begin the process of reauthorizing the
Health Professions Program, and because the Senate is more likely than the House
to draft a bill, APA Education advocacy staff has already met with staff of the
Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Public Health Subcommittee. APA has
also begun bringing APA member constituents into Washington to meet with key
Public Health Subcommittee Members. The purpose of the hill visits is to
emphasize the importance of GPE to their community and state and request the
Member’s support for APA’s amendments, which will ensure a solid authority
for the GPE program within the Bureau of Health Professions.
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