1.Quarterly reports to Congress
on conferences sponsored by the Department
(a)Subchapter I of
chapter
5 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following new section:
517.Quarterly
reports to Congress on conferences sponsored by the Department
(a)Quarterly
reports requiredNot later
than 30 days after the end of each fiscal quarter, the Secretary shall submit
to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate a report on covered
conferences.
(b)Each report under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1)An accounting of
the final costs to the Department of each covered conference occurring during
the fiscal quarter preceding the date on which the report is submitted,
including the costs related to—
(A)transportation and
parking;
(B)per diem
payments;
(C)lodging;
(D)rental of halls,
auditoriums, or other spaces;
(E)rental of
equipment;
(F)refreshments;
(G)entertainment;
(H)contractors;
and
(I)brochures or other
printed media.
(2)The total estimated costs to the Department
for covered conferences occurring during the fiscal quarter in which the report
is submitted.
(c)Covered
conference definedIn this
section, the term covered conference means a conference, meeting,
or other similar forum that is sponsored or co-sponsored by the Department of
Veterans Affairs and is—
(1)attended by 50 or
more individuals, including one or more employees of the Department; or
(2)estimated to cost
the Department at least
$20,000.
.
(b)The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter
is amended by adding after the item relating to section 516 the
following:
517. Quarterly reports to Congress on
conferences sponsored by the
Department.
.
2.Submission of certain
information by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(a)Subchapter II of
chapter
5 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting
after section
529 the following new section:
529A.Submission of
certain information by the Secretary to Congress
(a)The submission of
information by the Secretary to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House
of Representatives or the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate in
response to a request for such information made by a covered member of the
committee shall be deemed to be—
(1)a covered
disclosure under section 552a(b)(9) of title 5;
and
(2)a permitted disclosure under regulations
promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law
104–191), including a permitted disclosure for oversight
activities authorized by law as described in
section
164.512(d) of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations.
(b)With respect to a
request for information described in subsection (a) made by a covered member of
the committee who is not the chairman, the Secretary shall also submit such
information to the chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House
of Representatives or the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate, as the
case may be.
(c)Covered member
of the committeeIn this section, the term covered member
of the committee
means the following:
(1)The chairman or ranking member of the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.
(2)A chairman or ranking member of a
subcommittee of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of
Representatives or the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.
(3)The designee of a
chairman or ranking member described in paragraph (1) or
(2).
.
(b)The table of
sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 529 the following new item:
529A. Submission of certain information by
the Secretary to
Congress.
.
3.Publication of
data on employment of certain veterans by Federal contractorsSection 4212(d) of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
(3)The Secretary of Labor shall establish and
maintain an Internet website on which the Secretary shall publicly disclose the
information reported to the Secretary of Labor by contractors under paragraph
(1).
.
Passed the House of
Representatives October 11, 2011.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.