[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 556. Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Lankford) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2810, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. ___. INVESTIGATION OF MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT 
                   OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
     contract with a nonprofit organization that accredits health 
     care organizations and programs in the United States to 
     investigate a medical center of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs to assess and report deficiencies of the facilities 
     at such medical center.
       (b) Authority of Directors.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to coordination under paragraph 
     (2), the Secretary shall delegate the authority under 
     subsection (a) to contract for an investigation at a medical 
     center of the Department to the Director of the Veterans 
     Integrated Service Network in which the medical center is 
     located or the director of such medical center.
       (2) Coordination.--Before entering into a contract under 
     paragraph (1), the Director of a Veterans Integrated Service 
     Network or the director of a medical center, as the case may 
     be, shall notify the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the 
     Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
     the Comptroller General of the United States for purposes of 
     coordinating any investigation conducted pursuant to such 
     contract with any other investigations that may be ongoing.
       (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
     construed--
       (1) to prevent the Office of the Inspector General of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs from conducting any review, 
     audit, evaluation, or inspection regarding a topic for which 
     an investigation is conducted under this section; or
       (2) to modify the requirement that employees of the 
     Department assist with any review, audit, evaluation, or 
     inspection conducted by the Office of the Inspector General 
     of the Department.
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