[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8919 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8919

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate and upgrade 
the mail management systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 9, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consolidate and upgrade 
the mail management systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Vastly Improved Performance 
(eVIP) for Mail Service for our Veterans Act'' or the ``eVIP Mail 
Service for Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. MAIL STRATEGY AND MODERNIZATION.

    (a) Develop Strategy.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall develop a strategy to improve the printing and mailing 
        operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Exclusion.--The strategy described in paragraph (1) 
        does not apply to the mailing of prescription and over-the-
        counter drugs.
    (b) Strategy Goals.--The Secretary shall include in the strategy 
under subsection (a) plans for improving the printing and mailing 
operations of the Department, including plans for the following:
            (1) Consolidate the printing and mailing operations of the 
        Department--
                    (A) such that the operations are performed at not 
                more than four locations, except that the Veterans 
                Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits 
                Administration are each primarily serviced by not more 
                than two of the locations;
                    (B) to enable production cost efficiencies; and
                    (C) to improve the timeliness of sending mail.
            (2) Ensure each of the locations described in paragraph 
        (1)(A) has the capacity to offset service disruptions at 
        another such location, and enable the exchange of mail volume 
        between such locations for purposes of such offsetting and for 
        balancing the mail volume for which each such location is 
        responsible.
            (3) Update the printing and mailing practices of the 
        Department to decrease mailing costs, including increasing the 
        use of automation discounts offered by the United States Postal 
        Service.
            (4) Improve the accuracy of mail data maintained by the 
        Department.
            (5) Improve the tracking of mail within the Department.
            (6) Perform house holding on a more consistent basis.
            (7) Set Departmentwide standards, including minimum 
        requirements and target goals, for appropriate mail data 
        metrics.
            (8) Improve the accuracy of address information held by the 
        Department for persons to whom the Department sends mail.
    (c) Pilot Program.--The Secretary may carry out a pilot program to 
test the feasibility and efficacy of the strategy developed under 
subsection (a).
    (d) Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        Secretary has developed the strategy under subsection (a), the 
        Secretary shall implement the strategy except as provided in 
        paragraphs (2) and (3).
            (2) Consolidation.--Subject to paragraph (3), not later 
        than 24 months after the Secretary has developed the strategy 
        under subsection (a) the Secretary shall implement the strategy 
        with respect to the goals described in paragraphs (1) and (2) 
        of subsection (b).
            (3) Extension in case of pilot program.--If the Secretary 
        carries out a pilot program under subsection (c), not later 
        than 36 months after the Secretary has developed the strategy 
        under subsection (a) the Secretary shall implement the 
        strategy.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) Contents.--Not later than the date described in 
        paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
        Representatives a report on--
                    (A) the effect of the strategy developed under 
                subsection (a), as implemented, on the reliability and 
                timeliness of correspondence between the Department and 
                veterans and their dependants;
                    (B) the cost savings resulting from the 
                implementation of the strategy;
                    (C) the improvements implemented under the strategy 
                to the hardware and software used for printing and 
                mailing operations of the Department, including any 
                such improvements that will be implemented; and
                    (D) whether the Department is processing a 
                significant volume of mail correspondence volumes 
                outside of the locations described in subsection 
                (b)(1)(A).
            (2) Timing.--The date described in this paragraph is--
                    (A) two years after the date of the enactment of 
                this Act; or
                    (B) if the Secretary carries out a pilot program 
                under subsection (c), three years after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``house holding'' means consolidating into a 
        single piece of mail all mail that is sent on the same day from 
        the same location to the same intended recipient at one 
        address.
            (2) The term ``mail data'' means metrics relating to 
        printing and mailing operations, including the quantity of 
        mail, costs, and address errors.
            (3) The term ``printing and mailing operations'' means the 
        processes, personnel, facilities, and materials and other 
        resources involved in the production, handling, and 
        transmission of electronic and physical mail, and the 
        management thereof.
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