[House Report 113-126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    113-126

======================================================================



 
FORMERLY OWNED RESOURCES FOR VETERANS TO EXPRESS THANKS FOR SERVICE ACT 
                                OF 2013

                                _______
                                

 June 25, 2013.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Issa, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1171]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 1171) to amend title 40, United 
States Code, to improve veterans' service organizations access 
to Federal surplus personal property, having considered the 
same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend 
that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Committee Statement and Views....................................     2
Section-by-Section...............................................     2
Explanation of Amendments........................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     2
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     2
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     3
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     3
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     3
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     3
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     3
Earmark Identification...........................................     3
Committee Estimate...............................................     3
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate...     4
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported.............     5

                     Committee Statement and Views


                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    H.R. 1171, the Formerly Owned Resources for Veterans to 
Express Thanks for Service Act of 2013 (FOR VETS), permits 
veterans' service organizations to obtain surplus federal 
personal property to provide services to our Nation's veterans.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    When federal agencies no longer need personal property such 
as office supplies, furniture and motor vehicles, the items are 
eligible to be donated to private agencies that serve the 
public.
    Current law stipulates that veterans' service organizations 
can only receive personal property for a narrow set of 
services; veterans' service organizations, however, provide a 
broad range of services. H.R. 1171 would make our nation's 
veterans' service organizations eligible to receive property to 
utilize for the full breadth of services that they provide.
    Our nation's veterans deserve high-quality services from 
our public and private institutions, and H.R. 1171 is a small 
step in providing this essential support.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    In 2010, S. 3794 became public law, allowing veterans' 
service organizations to receive personal property for public 
health and educational purposes. Also made eligible were 
medical institutions, homeless service providers, and child 
care centers, among others.

                           Section-by-Section


Section 1. Short title

    This is the short title of the bill ``Formerly Owned 
Resources for Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act of 
2013'' or the ``FOR VETS Act of 2013.''

Section 2. Veterans access to Federal excess and surplus personal 
        property

    This section permits veterans' service organizations to 
obtain surplus personal property to provide services to 
veterans.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    No amendments to H.R. 1171 were offered.

                        Committee Consideration

    On May 22, 2013, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 1171, by voice vote, 
a quorum being present.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a 
description of the application of this bill to the legislative 
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services and accommodations. 
This bill permits veterans' service organizations to obtain 
surplus federal personal property to provide services to our 
Nation's veterans. Legislative branch employees and their 
families, to the extent that they are otherwise eligible for 
the benefits provided by this legislation, have equal access to 
its benefits.

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance 
goals and objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions 
of this report.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    No provision of H.R. 1171 establishes or reauthorizes a 
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of 
another Federal program, a program that was included in any 
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program 
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 1171 does not 
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the 
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.

                     Federal Advisory Committee Act

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).

                       Unfunded Mandate Statement

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded 
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to 
whether the provisions of the reported bill include unfunded 
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has 
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included 
herein.

                         Earmark Identification

    H.R. 1171 does not include any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9 of rule XXI.

                           Committee Estimate

    Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out 
H.R. 1171. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides 
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has 
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the 
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.

     Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect 
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received 
the following cost estimate for H.R. 1171 from the Director of 
Congressional Budget Office:

                                                      June 5, 2013.
Hon. Darrell Issa,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1171, the FOR VETS 
Act of 2013.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                              Douglas W. Elmendorf.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1171--FOR VETS Act of 2013

    H.R. 1171 would amend federal law regarding the disposal of 
federal personal property (including items such as furniture, 
office supplies, and construction equipment). Under current 
law, veterans organizations involved in education or health 
programs can obtain personal property through the Federal 
Surplus Personal Property Donation Program at no cost; other 
organizations must pay for such property. The legislation would 
expand eligibility to allow any organization that primarily 
supports veterans to receive donations free of charge.
    Based on information from the General Services 
Administration (GSA) about the current donation program, CBO 
estimates that implementing the legislation would have no 
significant impact on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 1171 
would reduce offsetting receipts (a credit against direct 
spending); therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, 
CBO estimates that any such losses of offsetting receipts that 
might result from donating personal property to additional 
veterans organizations would not be significant in any year 
because GSA already offers many organizations the opportunity 
to receive surplus personal property. Enacting the bill would 
not affect revenues.
    H.R. 1171 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

TITLE 40, UNITED STATES CODE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SUBTITLE I--FEDERAL PROPERTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


CHAPTER 5--PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SUBCHAPTER III--DISPOSING OF PROPERTY

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



Sec. 549. Donation of personal property through state agencies

  (a) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (c) Allocation and Transfer of Property.--
          (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          (3) Recipients and purposes.--The Administrator shall 
        transfer to a state agency property the state agency 
        selects for distribution through donation within the 
        State--
                  (A) to a public agency for use in carrying 
                out or promoting, for residents of a given 
                political area, a public purpose, including 
                conservation, economic development, education, 
                parks and recreation, public health, and public 
                safety; [or]
                  (B) for purposes of education or public 
                health (including research), to a nonprofit 
                educational or public health institution or 
                organization that is exempt from taxation under 
                section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                1986 (26 U.S.C. 501), including--
                          (i) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                          (viii) a library serving free all 
                        residents of a community, district, 
                        State, or region; or

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                          [(x) an organization whose--
                                  [(I) membership comprises 
                                substantially veterans (as 
                                defined under section 101 of 
                                title 38); and
                                  [(II) representatives are 
                                recognized by the Secretary of 
                                Veterans Affairs under section 
                                5902 of title 38.]
                  (C) for purposes of providing services to 
                veterans (as defined in section 101 of title 
                38), to an organization whose--
                          (i) membership comprises 
                        substantially veterans; and
                          (ii) representatives are recognized 
                        by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                        under section 5902 of title 38.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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