[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5084 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5084

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve accountability of 
  research corporations established at Department of Veterans Affairs 
                            medical centers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2002

  Mr. Buyer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve accountability of 
  research corporations established at Department of Veterans Affairs 
                            medical centers.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Research Corporations Accountability Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED ACCOUNTABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              RESEARCH CORPORATIONS.

    (a) Audits and Improved Annual Report.--Subsection (b) of section 
7366 of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b)(1) Not later than March 1 each year, each such corporation 
shall submit to the Secretary a report concerning the preceding 
calendar year. Each such annual report shall include the following:
            ``(A) A detailed statement of the corporation's operations, 
        activities, and accomplishments during the preceding calendar 
        year.
            ``(B) A description of each research project or activity 
        for which funds were provided by the corporation during that 
        year or for which funds were provided by the corporation during 
        a preceding year and that is ongoing during the year covered by 
        the report, including, for each such project or activity, the 
        title of the project or activity and a description of the 
        purpose of the project or activity.
            ``(C) A statement of the amount of funds controlled by the 
        corporation as of the first day, and as of the last day, of the 
        year covered by the report and a statement of the amount of 
        funds received, shown by source, during the year.
            ``(D) An itemized accounting of all disbursements made 
        during the year.
            ``(E) The most recent audit of the corporation under 
        paragraph (2).
            ``(F) Such other information as may be necessary to enable 
        the Secretary to prepare the annual report to congressional 
        committees required under section 7367 of this title.
    ``(2) A corporation with a balance of funds under its control in 
excess of $300,000 at any time during a calendar year shall obtain an 
audit of the corporation for that year. Any other corporation shall 
obtain an independent audit of the corporation at least once every 
three years. The report on any such audit shall specifically state 
whether the corporation audited made any payment, or provided any 
travel, during the period covered by the audit to a member of the board 
of directors of the corporation and, if so, the amount and recipient of 
any such payment or travel.
    ``(3) Any audit under paragraph (2) shall be performed by an 
independent auditor and shall be performed in accordance with generally 
accepted Government auditing standards and in accordance with Office of 
Management and Budget Circular A-133.
    ``(4) The Inspector General of the Department shall each year 
review the most recent audit under paragraph (2) of not less than 10 
percent of the corporations described in the first sentence of 
paragraph (2) and not less than 10 percent of the corporations 
described in the second sentence of that paragraph. As part of such 
review, the Inspector General shall determine whether the audit was 
carried out in accordance with generally accepted Government auditing 
standards, as required by paragraph (3).''.
    (b) Annual Report of Secretary.--(1) Subchapter IV of chapter 73 of 
such title is amended--
            (A) by inserting after subsection (c) of section 7366 the 
        following:
``Sec. 7367. Annual report to congressional committees'';
            and
            (B) in the text immediately following the section heading 
        inserted by subparagraph (A)--
                    (i) by striking ``(d)'' and inserting ``(a)'';
                    (ii) by inserting after the first sentence the 
                following new sentence: ``Each such report shall be 
                based on the annual reports submitted by the 
                corporations to the Secretary under section 7366(b) of 
                this title and shall be submitted not later than May 1 
                of the year following the year covered by such 
                reports.''; and
                    (iii) by striking ``The report shall'' and 
                inserting the following:
    ``(b) Each such report shall''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7366 the 
following new item:

``7367. Annual report to congressional committees.''.
    (c) Extension of Authority To Establish Research Corporations.--
Section 7368 of such title is amended by striking ``December 31, 2003'' 
and inserting ``December 31, 2006''.
                                 <all>