[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5328 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5328
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to share veterans' contact
information with State veterans agencies to improve outreach, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 6, 2026
Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Ms. Rosen)
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 share veterans' contact
information with State veterans agencies to improve outreach, 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 ``Empowering States to Serve Veterans
Act''.
SEC. 2. SHARING OF VETERANS' CONTACT INFORMATION WITH STATE VETERANS
AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--
(1) Requirement.--Subject to paragraph (2), not less
frequently than quarterly, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall share with each State veterans agency contact information
of veterans maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs
for statistical purposes and conducting outreach to veterans
residing in that State.
(2) Limitations.--Contact information shared under this Act
shall not include--
(A) any protected health information (as defined in
section 160.103 of title 45, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations));
(B) any Social Security number or date of birth;
(C) any financial, disability rating, appeal, or
claims information; or
(D) any information designated by the Secretary as
sensitive or restricted under Federal law.
(b) Notice; Opt Out.--
(1) Notice.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide clear
notice to each veteran, in paper and electronic
communications, that--
(i) the veteran's contact information may
be shared, for statistical and outreach
purposes, with the State veterans agency of the
State in which the veteran resides; and
(ii) the veteran may opt out of such
sharing at any time.
(B) Timing.--The Secretary shall provide notice
required by subparagraph (A)--
(i) 45 days before the initial transfer of
contact information to a State veterans agency
for any individual who is a veteran on the date
of the enactment of this Act; and
(ii) at the time of transition from
military service for any individual who is a
member of the Armed Forces.
(2) Opt out.--
(A) Process.--The Secretary shall establish and
maintain an accessible process for veterans to opt out
of contact-information sharing under this Act,
including an online form and toll-free telephone
number.
(B) Prohibition.--If a veteran opts out of contact-
information sharing under this Act through the process
established under subparagraph (A)--
(i) the Secretary shall not share the
contact information of the veteran under this
Act unless the veteran subsequently provides
the Secretary affirmative consent for such
sharing; and
(ii) any State veterans agency in receipt
of contact information of the veteran shall
immediately cease use of and destroy that
information.
(c) Privacy and Security.--
(1) Use and disclosure.--Each State veterans agency that
receives contact information of veterans under this Act--
(A) shall use such information solely for
statistical and outreach purposes authorized by the
Secretary; and
(B) shall not--
(i) sell, transfer, or otherwise disclose
such information to any third party; or
(ii) publish data based on such
information.
(2) Security measures.--Each State veterans agency that
receives contact information of veterans under this Act shall
implement data protection and cybersecurity measures consistent
with Federal standards for safeguarding personally identifiable
information.
(3) Compliance.--The Secretary--
(A) shall require proof of compliance with the
measures described in paragraph (2) before sharing
contact information of veterans under this Act with a
State veterans agency;
(B) shall not share contact information of veterans
under this Act with a State veterans agency that does
not demonstrate compliance with the requirements of
this Act; and
(C) shall require certifications or audits to
ensure ongoing compliance with this Act.
(d) State Veterans Agency Defined.--In this section, the term
``State veterans agency'' means an agency of a State government that
provides a range of benefits and services to veterans and their
families.
(e) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations to
carry out this Act, including procedures for contact-information
sharing, opt-out management, and security compliance.
(f) Effective Date.--Subsections (a) through (d) shall take effect
on the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
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