[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 164 (Tuesday, September 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H4679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1400
              CFO AUTHORITY AND COLLABORATION ACT OF 2020

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6589) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop 
and submit to Congress a plan to address the material weakness of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman call for the bill, as 
amended?
  Mr. TAKANO. I am checking. I do not have ``as amended.'' Madam 
Speaker, I stand by the motion that I made that we suspend the rules 
and pass H.R. 6589.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the title of the bill.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6589

       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 ``CFO Authority and 
     Collaboration Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. PLAN TO ADDRESS MATERIAL WEAKNESS OF DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
       (1) develop a plan, including steps and related timelines, 
     for fully addressing--
       (A) the repeated material weakness of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs; and
       (B) the recommendations of the auditor related to entity 
     level controls, including the organizational structure of the 
     office of the Chief Financial Officer of the Department; and
       (2) submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
     Senate and the House of Representatives a report containing a 
     description of--
       (A) the plan developed under paragraph (1); and
       (B) the steps the Secretary plans to take to provide 
     sufficient authority to the Chief Financial Officer of the 
     Department to carry out the requirements of section 902 of 
     title 31, United States Code.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. 
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 6589.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6589, the CFO Authority and 
Collaboration Act of 2020, which addresses the sometimes arcane but 
also very important need for strong financial management and 
accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Madam Speaker, each year, VA spends billions of dollars in support of 
our Nation's veterans. Taxpayers deserve to know that each dollar is 
spent wisely and that each dollar is properly accounted for in order to 
avoid waste, fraud, and abuse.
  Madam Speaker, the VA inspector general has determined what is called 
a ``material weakness'' in how the Office of the Chief Financial 
Officer is structured. This was a topic examined during hearings and 
through oversight by our Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
  Mrs. Lee's legislation requires a small but important fix to ensure 
strong financial accountability. I thank Mrs. Lee for sponsoring this 
bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6589.
  Madam Speaker, I wish to, at this point, withdraw the motion.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The motion is withdrawn.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  September 22, 2020, on page H4679, the following appeared: Madam 
Speaker, I wish to, at this point, withdraw the motion. The 
SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the motion is withdrawn. 
There was no objection.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Madam Speaker, I 
wish to, at this point, withdraw the motion. The SPEAKER pro 
tempore. The motion is withdrawn.


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