[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 151 (Tuesday, October 11, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6693-H6695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1510
 NOTIFYING CONGRESS OF CONFERENCES SPONSORED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                                AFFAIRS

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2302) to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of 
conferences sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2302

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

[[Page H6694]]

     SECTION 1. QUARTERLY REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON CONFERENCES 
                   SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 5 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new section:

     ``Sec. 517. Quarterly reports to Congress on conferences 
       sponsored by the Department

       ``(a) Quarterly Reports Required.--Not 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) Matters Included.--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 Defined.--In 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) Clerical Amendment.--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.''.

     SEC. 2. SUBMISSION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY THE SECRETARY OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 529 
     the following new section:

     ``Sec. 529A. Submission of certain information by the 
       Secretary to Congress

       ``(a) In General.--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) Submission to Chairman.--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 Committee.--In 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) Conforming Amendment.--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.''.

     SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF DATA ON EMPLOYMENT OF CERTAIN VETERANS 
                   BY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS.

       Section 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).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 2302, as amended. It amends title 
38, United States Code, that directs the Secretary of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of certain conferences sponsored by 
the VA. It's a good government bill. It provides additional 
transparency. It shifts VA and Department of Defense GI Bill reporting 
requirements from chapter 30 to chapter 33.
  This legislation is sponsored by the chairman of our Subcommittee on 
Economic Opportunity, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman). My 
thanks go out to him as well as the ranking member, Mr. Filner, and 
also the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Braley of Iowa, for 
their efforts.
  With that, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Economic Opportunity.
  Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 2302, as amended, contains provisions from three 
different bills. Section one retains the transparency concepts in the 
original version of the bill but responds partially to VA's concerns 
about the scope of covered conferences by increasing the reporting 
threshold to conferences costing $20,000 or more. The catalyst for this 
provision was a large VA conference held recently in Scottsdale, 
Arizona, that lasted 11 days and included $97,000 for consultant 
services out of a total cost of $221,500. At a time when every tax 
dollar is precious, it is our duty to ensure that VA conferences spend 
those dollars wisely. This would be an appropriate provision in any 
economic situation, not just in today's stagnant economy.
  Section 2 includes the provisions of Chairman Miller's bill, H.R. 
2388, that would streamline the committee's ability to get information 
from the VA. It has been our experience that VA incorrectly uses the 
Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act, or HIPAA, to deny 
or delay providing information needed to resolve our constituents' 
cases. This bill would make it clear that requests for information for 
the committee's constitutional oversight duties are deemed to be an 
authorized disclosure under the Privacy Act and HIPAA.
  Section 3 includes provisions introduced by the ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Mr. 
McNerney, that would require the Department of Labor to include 
veterans' employment information submitted by Federal contractors on 
the Department's Web site.
  Madam Speaker, title 38, United States Code, section 4212 requires 
Federal contractors to implement an affirmative action plan to hire 
veterans and to report on the success of that program. It is 
unfortunate that the Department of Labor, under several 
administrations, has largely ignored data that shows the extent to 
which Federal contractors are complying with the law. While I am aware 
of renewed efforts by the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance to 
enforce the law, Mr. McNerney's provision will help focus their 
attention on this issue, and I thank him for this important provision.
  Each of these provisions will increase the transparency of Federal 
programs and improve our ability to hold the Federal Government 
accountable for not just funding but also its actions in managing the 
programs under our jurisdiction. I am also happy to report that my 
amendment has been scored by CBO as having insignificant costs.
  So I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2302, and I thank Ranking 
Member Braley for his support of the subcommittee's work.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I endorse the arguments just made by the 
chairman of the subcommittee.
  I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 2302, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. I once again encourage all my colleagues to 
support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H6695]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2302, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
notify Congress of conferences sponsored by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________