[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2429 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2429

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
  of Veterans Affairs an Office for Women Veterans and an Office for 
               Minority Veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              August 25 (legislative day, August 18), 1994

   Mr. Akaka introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
  of Veterans Affairs an Office for Women Veterans and an Office for 
               Minority Veterans, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. OFFICE FOR MINORITY VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 317 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 317. Office for Minority Veterans
    ``(a) There is in the Department an Office for Minority Veterans.
    ``(b)(1) There is at the head of the Office a Director who shall be 
appointed by the Secretary. The Director shall be a career appointee in 
the Senior Executive Service. In appointing the Director, the Secretary 
shall give preference to the appointment of a veteran. The Director 
shall be appointed for a term of six years and may be reappointed for 
an additional term.
    ``(2) There is in the Office a Deputy Director who is the principal 
assistant of the Director. The Deputy Director shall perform such 
functions as the Director shall prescribe.
    ``(c) The Director reports directly to the Secretary or the Deputy 
Secretary concerning the activities of the Office.
    ``(d) The Director shall perform the following functions with 
respect to veterans who are minority group members:
            ``(1) Serve as principal adviser to the Secretary on the 
        adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting 
        veterans who are minority group members.
            ``(2) Make recommendations to the Secretary, the Under 
        Secretary for Health, the Under Secretary for Benefits, and 
        other Department officials for the establishment or improvement 
        of programs in the Department for which veterans who are 
        minority group members are eligible.
            ``(3) Promote the use of benefits authorized by this title 
        by veterans who are minority group members and the conduct of 
        outreach activities to veterans who are minority group members, 
        in conjunction with outreach activities carried out under 
        chapter 77 of this title.
            ``(4) Disseminate information and serve as a resource 
        center for the exchange of information regarding innovative and 
        successful programs which improve the services available to 
        veterans who are minority group members.
            ``(5) Conduct and sponsor appropriate social and 
        demographic research on the needs of veterans who are minority 
        group members and the extent to which programs authorized under 
        this title meet the needs of those veterans, without regard to 
        any law concerning the collection of information from the 
        public.
            ``(6) Analyze and evaluate complaints made by or on behalf 
        of veterans who are minority group members about the adequacy 
        and timeliness of services provided by the Department and 
        advise the appropriate official of the Department of the 
        results of such analysis or evaluation.
            ``(7) Consult with, and provide assistance and information 
        to, officials responsible for administering Federal, State, 
        local, and private programs that assist veterans, to encourage 
        those officials to adopt policies which promote the use of 
        those programs by veterans who are minority group members.
            ``(8) Advise the Secretary when laws or policies have the 
        effect of discouraging the use of benefits by veterans who are 
        minority group members.
            ``(9) Publicize the results of medical research which are 
        of particular significance to veterans who are minority group 
        members.
            ``(10) Advise the Secretary and other appropriate officials 
        on the effectiveness of the Department's efforts to accomplish 
        the goals of section 492B of the Public Health Service Act 
        (relating to the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical 
        research) and of particular health conditions affecting the 
        health or minority group members which should be studied as 
        part of the Department's medical research program and promote 
        cooperation between the Department and other sponsors of 
        medical research of potential benefit to veterans who are 
        minority group members.
            ``(11) Perform such other duties consistent with this 
        section as the Secretary shall prescribe.
    ``(e) The Secretary shall ensure that the Director is furnished 
sufficient resources to enable the Director to carry out the functions 
of the Office in a timely manner.
    ``(f) The Secretary shall include in documents submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary in support of the President's budget for each 
fiscal year--
            ``(1) detailed information on the budget for the Office;
            ``(2) the Secretary's opinion as to whether the resources 
        (including the number of employees) proposed in the budget for 
        that fiscal year are adequate to enable the Office to comply 
        with its statutory and regulatory duties; and
            ``(3) a report on the activities and significant 
        accomplishments of the Office during the preceding fiscal year.
    ``(g) In this section, the term `minority group member' means an 
individual who is--
            ``(1) Asian American;
            ``(2) Black;
            ``(3) Hispanic;
            ``(4) Native American (including American Indian, Alaskan 
        Native, and Native Hawaiian); or
            ``(5) Pacific-Islander American.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by striking out the item relating to section 
317 and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

``317. Office for Minority Veterans.''.

SEC. 2. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON MINORITY VETERANS.

    (a) Establishment.--Subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 544. Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans
    ``(a)(1) The Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be 
known as the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans (hereinafter in 
this section referred to as ``the Committee'').
    ``(2)(A) The Committee shall consist of members appointed by the 
Secretary from the general public, including--
            ``(i) representatives of veterans who are minority group 
        members;
            ``(ii) individuals who are recognized authorities in fields 
        pertinent to the needs of veterans who are minority group 
        members;
            ``(iii) veterans who are minority group members and who 
        have experience in a military theater of operations; and
            ``(iv) veterans who are minority group members and who do 
        not have such experience.
    ``(B) The Committee shall include, as ex officio members--
            ``(i) the Secretary of Labor (or a representative of the 
        Secretary of Labor designated by the Secretary after 
        consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
        Veterans' Employment);
            ``(ii) the Secretary of Defense (or a representative of the 
        Secretary of Defense designated by the Secretary of Defense);
            ``(iii) the Secretary of the Interior (or a representative 
        of the Secretary of the Interior designated by the Secretary of 
        the Interior);
            ``(iv) the Secretary of Commerce (or a representative of 
        the Secretary of Commerce designated by the Secretary of 
        Commerce);
            ``(v) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (or a 
        representative of the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services); and
            ``(vi) the Under Secretary for Health and the Under 
        Secretary for Benefits, or their designees.
    ``(C) The Secretary may invite representatives of other departments 
and agencies of the United States to participate in the meetings and 
other activities of the Committee.
    ``(3) The Secretary shall determine the number, terms of service, 
and pay and allowances of members of the Committee appointed by the 
Secretary, except that a term of service of any such member may not 
exceed three years. The Secretary may reappoint any such member for 
additional terms of service.
    ``(4) The Committee shall meet as often as the Secretary considers 
necessary or appropriate, but not less often than twice each fiscal 
year.
    ``(b) The Secretary shall, on a regular basis, consult with and 
seek the advice of the Committee with respect to the administration of 
benefits by the Department for veterans who are minority group members, 
reports and studies pertaining to such veterans and the needs of such 
veterans with respect to compensation, health care, rehabilitation, 
outreach, and other benefits and programs administered by the 
Department.
    ``(c)(1) Not later than July 1 of each even-numbered year, the 
Committee shall submit to the Secretary a report on the programs and 
activities of the Department that pertain to veterans who are minority 
group members. Each such report shall include--
            ``(A) an assessment of the needs of veterans who are 
        minority group members with respect to compensation, health 
        care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefits and programs 
        administered by the Department;
            ``(B) a review of the programs and activities of the 
        Department designed to meet such needs; and
            ``(C) such recommendations (including recommendations for 
        administrative and legislative action) as the Committee 
        considers appropriate.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall, within 60 days after receiving each 
report under paragraph (1), submit to Congress a copy of the report, 
together with any comments concerning the report that the Secretary 
considers appropriate.
    ``(3) The Committee may also submit to the Secretary such other 
reports and recommendations as the Committee considers appropriate.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall submit with each annual report submitted 
to the Congress pursuant to section 529 of this title a summary of all 
reports and recommendations of the Committee submitted to the Secretary 
since the previous annual report of the Secretary submitted pursuant to 
such section.
    ``(d) In this section, the term `minority group member' means an 
individual who is--
            ``(1) Asian American;
            ``(2) Black;
            ``(3) Hispanic;
            ``(4) Native American (including American Indian, Alaskan 
        Native, and Native Hawaiian); or
            ``(5) Pacific-Islander American.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section 
543 the following new item:

``544. Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans.''.

SEC. 3. REPRESENTATIVES FOR MINORITY VETERANS AT DEPARTMENT FACILITIES.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall designate an appropriate 
official at each regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
and at each medical facility of the Department to serve as the minority 
affairs officer of the Department at the office or facility. The 
officials shall perform such functions as the Secretary shall 
prescribe.

SEC. 4. OFFICE FOR WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--(1) Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, as 
amended by section 1(a) of this Act, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:
``Sec. 318. Office for Women Veterans
    ``(a) There is in the Department an Office for Women Veterans.
    ``(b)(1) There is at the head of the Office a Director who shall be 
appointed by the Secretary. The Director shall be a career appointee in 
the Senior Executive Service. In appointing the Director, the Secretary 
shall give preference to the appointment of a veteran. The Director 
shall be appointed for a term of six years and may be reappointed for 
an additional term.
    ``(2) There is in the Office a Deputy Director who is the principal 
assistant of the Director. The Deputy Director shall perform such 
functions as the Director shall prescribe.
    ``(c) The Director reports directly to the Secretary or the Deputy 
Secretary concerning the activities of the Office.
    ``(d) The Director shall perform the following functions with 
respect to veterans who are women:
            ``(1) Serve as principal adviser to the Secretary on the 
        adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting 
        veterans who are women.
            ``(2) Make recommendations to the Secretary, the Under 
        Secretary for Health, the Under Secretary for Benefits, and 
        other Department officials for the establishment or improvement 
        of programs in the Department for which veterans who are women 
        are eligible.
            ``(3) Promote the use of benefits authorized by this title 
        by veterans who are women and the conduct of outreach 
        activities to veterans who are women, in conjunction with 
        outreach activities carried out under chapter 77 of this title.
            ``(4) Disseminate information and serve as a resource 
        center for the exchange of information regarding innovative and 
        successful programs which improve the services available to 
        veterans who are women.
            ``(5) Conduct and sponsor appropriate social and 
        demographic research on the needs of veterans who are women and 
        the extent to which programs authorized under this title meet 
        the needs of those veterans, without regard to any law 
        concerning the collection of information from the public.
            ``(6) Analyze and evaluate complaints made by or on behalf 
        of veterans who are women about the adequacy and timeliness of 
        services provided by the Department and advise the appropriate 
        official of the Department of the results of such analysis or 
        evaluation.
            ``(7) Consult with, and provide assistance and information 
        to, officials responsible for administering Federal, State, 
        local, and private programs that assist veterans, to encourage 
        those officials to adopt policies which promote the use of 
        those programs by veterans who are women.
            ``(8) Advise the Secretary when laws or policies have the 
        effect of discouraging the use of benefits by veterans who are 
        women.
            ``(9) Publicize the results of medical research which are 
        of particular significance to veterans who are women.
            ``(10) Advise the Secretary and other appropriate officials 
        on the effectiveness of the Department's efforts to accomplish 
        the goals of section 492B of the Public Health Service Act 
        (relating to the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical 
        research) and of particular health conditions affecting womens' 
        health which should be studied as part of the Department's 
        medical research program and promote cooperation between the 
        Department and other sponsors of medical research of potential 
        benefit to veterans who are women.
            ``(11) Provide support and administrative services to the 
        Advisory Committee on Women Veterans established under section 
        542 of this title.
            ``(12) Perform such other duties consistent with this 
        section as the Secretary shall prescribe.
    ``(e) The Secretary shall ensure that the Director is furnished 
sufficient resources to enable the Director to carry out the functions 
of the Office in a timely manner.
    ``(f) The Secretary shall include in documents submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary in support of the President's budget for each 
fiscal year--
            ``(1) detailed information on the budget for the Office;
            ``(2) the Secretary's opinion as to whether the resources 
        (including the number of employees) proposed in the budget for 
        that fiscal year are adequate to enable the Office to comply 
        with its statutory and regulatory duties; and
            ``(3) a report on the activities and significant 
        accomplishments of the Office during the preceding fiscal 
        year.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter, as amended by section 1(b) of this Act, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``318. Office for Women Veterans.''.

SEC. 5. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) Members.--Paragraph (2)(A) of section 542(a) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``and'' at the end of clause (ii);
            (2) by striking out the period at the end of clause (iii) 
        and inserting in lieu a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(iii) women veterans who have experience in a military 
        theater of operations; and
            ``(iv) women veterans who do not have such experience.''.

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