[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 150 (Monday, September 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4296-H4298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VA HOSPITAL INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AUTHORIZATION ACT
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3494) to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
carry out an information technology system and prioritize certain
requirements to manage supply chains for medical facilities of 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. 3494
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 ``VA Hospital Inventory
Management System Authorization Act''.
[[Page H4297]]
SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF SUPPLY CHAINS FOR MEDICAL FACILITIES OF
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Authorization.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is
authorized to--
(1) purchase or develop for the Veterans Health
Administration a cloud-based information technology system
for the management of inventory, including expendable and
nonexpendable items; and
(2) implement such system.
(b) Pilot.--If the Secretary purchases or develops a system
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall carry out a pilot
program at one Veterans Health Administration facility before
implementing the system throughout the Veterans Health
Administration. The pilot program shall be designed to
determine whether the functions of the system are
satisfactory.
(c) Deadline.--If the Secretary purchases or develops a
system under subsection (a), the Secretary shall complete the
implementation of the system by not later than three years
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Limitation.--The Secretary may not exercise the
authority under subsection (a) or subsection (b) until the
date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Senate a report that includes--
(1) a comprehensive supply chain strategy to guide
enterprise-wide implementation, as recommended in the report
of the Comptroller General of the United States titled ``VA
Acquisition Management: Comprehensive Supply Chain Management
Strategy Key to Address Existing Challenges'' (GAO-21-445T;
published March 24, 2021), which includes success metrics, a
plan for data standardization, and staffing models;
(2) a cost estimate and implementation schedule for the
supply chain modernization program of the Department;
(3) a comprehensive staffing assessment of the supply chain
and information technology modernization workforces of the
Department that includes--
(A) monthly staffing gains and losses since October 1,
2022;
(B) the current staffing level of each such workforce as of
the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(C) an estimate of future staffing requirements for the
implementation of the supply chain modernization program,
disaggregated by each such workforce; and
(4) an independent assessment of the review carried out by
the Secretary with respect to failures of the supply chain
modernization program of the Department.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.
Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting
``December 31, 2032''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
H.R. 3494, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3494, as amended,
offered by Representative Kiggans. This bill would ensure VA finally
has a reliable system to track hospital supplies and equipment.
For too long, an unreliable system has wasted taxpayer dollars and
left doctors and nurses searching for basic tools they need to care for
our veterans. That kind of mismanagement is unacceptable. Veterans
should never face delays in treatment because a hospital can't find the
supplies and equipment it needs.
A modern supply chain means stronger care for our veterans, smarter
spending for taxpayers, and greater accountability at the VA. It means
no excuses, no wasted dollars, and no veterans left waiting because the
system failed them. That is exactly what this bill delivers for our
Nation's heroes.
I thank Representative Kiggans for her continued leadership on the
committee and her tireless commitment to solving this problem at the
VA. I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3494, as amended.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in cautious--I emphasize cautious--support for
H.R. 3494, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization
Act, as amended.
Throughout my time on this committee, I have seen the importance and
necessity of an accessible and efficient supply chain system. Without
these tools, hospitals remain ill-equipped to handle demand.
This became painfully evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when VA
facilities were forced to use Excel spreadsheets to report PPE
inventory up to the central office.
VA patients and providers deserve a modernized supply chain, and it
has yet to be proven that VA has the capacity to provide this solution.
I emphasize this has occurred, regardless of which party was in charge
of the Department.
After a canceled procurement effort last year, VA has told us that it
plans to restart its supply chain modernization effort for a fifth
time. As far as I can tell, they have not done much of the work needed
to avoid making the same expensive mistakes again.
Representative Kiggans' bill in its introduced form would have
authorized tens of millions of dollars to VA for a pilot on a program
VA does not even yet have a plan for. That is millions of dollars to
the Department simply with the hope that VA was ready to get it right
this time.
However, I am glad my Republican colleagues chose to incorporate
critical accountability measures initially proposed by my colleague,
Representative Nikki Budzinski, for consideration on the floor today
after these measures were voted down on party lines in our most recent
committee markup.
With the help of committee Democrats, this bill will now ensure that
the Department has critical measures in place before it embarks on
implementing the untested and unproven pilot program this bill
authorizes.
Representative Budzinski's input requires that VA develop a
comprehensive strategy for its supply chain program, a cost estimate
and implementation schedule, reports on VA's internal staffing levels
after support workforces were heavily depleted by the Deferred
Resignation Program and other attrition, and an assessment of its
recent failures in this modernization effort.
These updates represent just the most basic levels of oversight and
planning that VA should have done once it decided to restart this
modernization effort. I am glad my Republican colleagues are joining us
in pushing for the Department to conduct these necessary assessments
and plans before overhauling such an important program as supply chain
management.
I also applaud Representative Budzinski for inserting these
commonsense checks into this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support
this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans), the sponsor of this bill.
Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of
my bill, the VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act.
As a Navy veteran, a nurse practitioner, and the proud Representative
of a district that is home to more than 78,000 veterans, I know how
essential it is to ensure our veteran health system works efficiently
and effectively.
Unfortunately, outdated systems and fragmented logistics have created
real obstacles within the VA. These failures aren't just technical.
They are personal. They affect real people and real families.
Over the past several years, millions of dollars in medical equipment
have gone missing from VA facilities across the country. These are not
isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a broader issue, one where a
lack of modern infrastructure has led to waste, delay, and avoidable
gaps in care.
That is why I introduced this bipartisan and commonsense approach to
improving how the VA manages medical supplies. This bill authorizes the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop or acquire a cloud-based
inventory management system to help ensure VA clinicians always have
the right tools at the right time to provide high-quality care.
This system will offer better tracking, better forecasting, and
better accountability. We are not reinventing the wheel. We are simply
asking the VA to adopt the same kinds of tools
[[Page H4298]]
and best practices that are already being used in the private sector
and to do so in a way that is transparent, results-driven, and veteran-
focused.
The benefits are clear. A modern inventory management system will
reduce waste, prevent delays in care, and ensure that taxpayer dollars
are spent efficiently. Most importantly, it will help restore trust in
a system that too often leaves veterans feeling frustrated and
forgotten.
Madam Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to support this bill
and join me in making a practical, bipartisan improvement to the care
our veterans receive.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in
voting ``yes'' on H.R. 3494, the VA Hospital Inventory Management
System Act, as amended.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to
support this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 3494, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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