[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.
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