[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 117th Congress]
[117th Congress]
[House Document 116-177]
[Legislate Procedures Enacted in Law]
[Pages 1349-1354]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       35. VA Mission Act of 2018

  a. department of veterans affairs center for innovation for care and 


                       payment. [38 u.s.c. 1703e]


         Sec. 1703E. center for innovation for care and payment

          (a) In General--

                  (1) There is established within the Department a 

                Center for Innovation for Care and Payment (in this 

                section referred to as the ``Center'').

                  (2) The Secretary, acting through the Center, may 

                carry out such pilot programs the Secretary determines 

                to be appropriate to develop innovative approaches to 

                testing payment and service delivery models in order to 

                reduce expenditures while preserving or enhancing the 


[[Page 1350]]

                quality of care furnished by the Department.


                                  * * *

          (f) Waiver of Authorities--

                  (1) Subject to reporting under paragraph (2) and 

                approval under paragraph (3), in implementing a pilot 

                program under this section, the Secretary may waive such 

                requirements in subchapters I, II, and III of this 

                chapter as the Secretary determines necessary solely for 

                the purposes of carrying out this section with respect 

                to testing models described in subsection (a).

                  (2) Before waiving any authority under paragraph (1), 

                the Secretary shall submit to the Speaker of the House 

                of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of 

                Representatives, the majority leader of the House of 

                Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate, and 

                each standing committee with jurisdiction under the 

                rules of the Senate and of the House of Representatives 

                to report a bill to amend the provision or provisions of 

                law that would be waived by the Department, a report on 

                a request for waiver that describes in detail the 

                following:

                      (A) The specific authorities to be waived under 


                    the pilot program.


                                  * * *

                  (3)(A) Upon receipt of a report submitted under 

                paragraph (2), each House of Congress shall provide 

                copies of the report to the chairman and ranking member 

                of each standing committee with jurisdiction under the 

                rules of the House of Representatives or the Senate to 

                report a bill to amend the provision or provisions of 

                law that would be waived by the Department under this 

                subsection.

                  (B) The waiver requested by the Secretary under 

                paragraph (2) shall be considered approved under this 

                paragraph if there is enacted into law a joint 

                resolution approving such request in its entirety.

                  (C) For purposes of this paragraph, the term ``joint 

                resolution'' means only a joint resolution which is 

                introduced within the period of five legislative days 

                beginning on the date on which the Secretary transmits 

                the report to the Congress under such paragraph (2), 


[[Page 1351]]

                and--

                      (i) which does not have a preamble; and

                      (ii) the matter after the resolving clause of 

                    which is as follows: ``that Congress approves the 

                    request for a waiver under section 1703E(f) of title 

                    38, United States Code, as submitted by the 

                    Secretary on ___'', the blank space being filled 

                    with the appropriate date.

                  (D)(i) Any committee of the House of Representatives 

                to which a joint resolution is referred shall report it 

                to the House without amendment not later than 15 

                legislative days after the date of introduction thereof. 

                If a committee fails to report the joint resolution 

                within that time period, the committee shall be 

                discharged from further consideration of the joint 

                resolution.

                      (ii) It shall be in order at any time after the 

                    third legislative day after each committee 

                    authorized to consider a joint resolution has 

                    reported or has been discharged from consideration 

                    of a joint resolution, to move to proceed to 

                    consider the joint resolution in the House. All 

                    points of order against the motion are waived. Such 

                    a motion shall not be in order after the House has 

                    disposed of a motion to proceed on a joint 

                    resolution addressing a particular submission. The 

                    previous question shall be considered as ordered on 

                    the motion to its adoption without intervening 

                    motion. The motion shall not be debatable. A motion 

                    to reconsider the vote by which the motion is 

                    disposed of shall not be in order.

                      (iii) The joint resolution shall be considered as 

                    read. All points of order against the joint 

                    resolution and against its consideration are waived. 

                    The previous question shall be considered as ordered 

                    on the joint resolution to its passage without 

                    intervening motion except two hours of debate 

                    equally divided and controlled by the proponent and 

                    an opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on 

                    passage of the joint resolution shall not be in 


                    order.


                                  * * *


[[Page 1352]]

 b. va asset and infrastructure review act of 2018, Sec. Sec. 203, 207 
  In the 116th Congress, the House passed an unreported joint resolution 
pursuant to subsection (f) under suspension of the rules (H.J. Res. 80, 
Jan. 13, 2020, p. _).


                          [38 u.s.c. 8122 note]


             Sec. 203. procedure for making recommendations.


                                  * * *

          (b) Recommendations of the Secretary--

                  (1) Publication in the Federal Register--The Secretary 

                shall, not later than January 31, 2022, and after 

                consulting with veterans service organizations, publish 

                in the Federal Register and transmit to the Committees 

                on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 

                Representatives and to the Commission a report detailing 

                the recommendations regarding the modernization or 

                realignment of facilities of the Veterans Health 

                Administration on the basis of the final criteria 


                referred to in subsection (a)(2) that are applicable.


                                  * * *

          (d) Review by the President--

                  (1) Report--The President shall, not later than 

                February 15, 2023, transmit to the Commission and to the 

                Congress a report containing the President's approval or 


                disapproval of the Commission's recommendations.


                                  * * *

                  (4) Transmittal of Recommendations to Congress--If the 

                President approves all recommendations of the Commission 

                transmitted to the President under paragraph (3), the 

                President shall transmit a copy of such recommendations 

                to the Congress, together with a certification of such 


                approval.


                                  * * *


       Sec. 207. congressional consideration of commission report.

          (a) Disapproval Resolution--For purposes of this subtitle, the 

        term ``joint resolution'' means only a joint resolution which is 

        introduced within the 5-day period beginning on the date on 


[[Page 1353]]

        which the President trans

        mits the report to the Congress under section 203(d), and--

                  (1) which does not have a preamble;

                  (2) the matter after the resolving clause of which is 

                as follows: ``that Congress disapproves the 

                recommendations of the VHA Asset and Infrastructure 

                Review Commission as submitted by the President on 

                ___'', the blank space being filled with the appropriate 

                date; and

                  (3) the title of which is as follows: ``Joint 

                resolution disapproving the recommendations of the VHA 

                Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission.''.

          (b) Consideration in the House of Representatives--

                  (1) Reporting and Discharge--Any committee of the 

                House of Representatives to which a joint resolution is 

                referred shall report it to the House without amendment 

                not later than 15 legislative days after the date of 

                introduction thereof. If a committee fails to report the 

                joint resolution within that period, the committee shall 

                be discharged from further consideration of the joint 

                resolution.

                  (2) Proceeding to Consideration--It shall be in order 

                at any time after the third legislative day after each 

                committee authorized to consider a joint resolution has 

                reported or has been discharged from consideration of a 

                joint resolution, to move to proceed to consider the 

                joint resolution in the House. All points of order 

                against the motion are waived. Such a motion shall not 

                be in order after the House has disposed of a motion to 

                proceed on a joint resolution addressing a particular 

                submission. The previous question shall be considered as 

                ordered on the motion to its adoption without 

                intervening motion. The motion shall not be debatable. A 

                motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is 

                disposed of shall not be in order.

                  (3) Consideration--The joint resolution shall be 

                considered as read. All points of order against the 

                joint resolution and against its consideration are 

                waived. The previous question shall be considered as 

                ordered on the joint resolution to its passage without 

                intervening motion except 2 hours of debate equally 


[[Page 1354]]

                divided and controlled by the pro

                ponent and and opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote 

                on passage of the joint resolution shall not be in 


                order.


                                  * * *

          (d) Amendment Not In Order--A joint resolution of disapproval 

        considered pursuant to this section shall not be subject to 

        amendment in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.

          (e) Coordination With Action By Other House--

                  (1) In General--If, before the passage by one House of 

                the joint resolution of that House, that House receives 

                the joint resolution from the other House, then the 

                following procedures shall apply:

                      (A) The joint resolution of the other House shall 

                    not be referred to a committee.

                      (B) With respect to the joint resolution of the 

                    House receiving the joint resolution--

                        (i) the procedure in that House shall be the 

                    same as if no joint resolution had been received 

                    from the other House; but

                        (ii) the vote on passage shall be on the joint 


                    resolution of the other House.


                                  * * *




                                                           Sec. 1130(36)