[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1096 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1096

 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the employees 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive training developed by 
  the Inspector General of the Department on reporting wrongdoing to, 
    responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of 
      Inspector General of the Department, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 30, 2023

Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the employees 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive training developed by 
  the Inspector General of the Department on reporting wrongdoing to, 
    responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of 
      Inspector General of the Department, 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 ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEE TRAINING REGARDING 
              OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.

    (a) Training.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require each 
employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who begins employment 
with the Department on or after the date of the enactment of this Act 
to receive training that the Inspector General of the Department shall 
develop on the reporting of wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, 
and cooperating with the Office of Inspector General of the Department.
    (b) Timing of Training.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall require each employee of the Department covered under 
such subsection to undergo the training required by such subsection not 
later than one year after the date on which the employee begins 
employment with the Department.
    (c) Elements.--Training developed and required under subsection (a) 
shall include the following:
            (1) Definition of the role, responsibilities, and legal 
        authority of the Inspector General of the Department and the 
        duties of employees of the Department for engaging with the 
        Office of Inspector General.
            (2) Identification of the circumstances and mechanisms for 
        reporting fraud, waste, abuse, and other wrongdoing to the 
        Inspector General, including making confidential complaints to 
        the Inspector General.
            (3) Identification of the prohibitions and remedies that 
        help to protect employees of the Department from retaliation 
        when reporting wrongdoing to the Inspector General.
            (4) Recognition of opportunities to engage with staff of 
        the Office of Inspector General to improve programs, 
        operations, and services of the Department.
    (d) Design and Update.--The Inspector General of the Department 
shall design, and update as the Inspector General considers 
appropriate, the training developed and required by subsection (a).
    (e) System.--The Secretary shall provide, via the talent management 
system of the Department, or successor system, the training developed 
and required under subsection (a).
    (f) Relation to Certain Training.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
training developed and required under subsection (a) is separate and 
distinct from training provided under section 733 of title 38, United 
States Code.
    (g) Notice to Employees.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
Inspector General is afforded the opportunity, not less frequently than 
twice each year and more frequently if the Inspector General considers 
appropriate under extraordinary circumstances, to use the electronic 
mail system of the Department to notify all authorized users of such 
system of the following:
            (1) The roles and responsibilities of the employees of the 
        Department when engaging with the Office of Inspector General.
            (2) The availability of training provided under subsection 
        (a).
            (3) How to access training provided under subsection (a).
            (4) Information about how to contact the Office of 
        Inspector General, including a link to any website-based 
        reporting form of the Office.
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