[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1446 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1446
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a
plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made
available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 29, 2021
Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a
plan for obligating and expending Coronavirus pandemic funding made
available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC FUNDING MADE
AVAILABLE TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Plan and Expenditures by Secretary.--
(1) Plan.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a detailed plan for obligating and expending
covered funds, including a detailed justification for each type
of obligation of such funds.
(2) Biweekly reports.--Not less frequently than once every
14 days during the period beginning on the date on which the
plan under paragraph (1) is submitted and ending seven days
after the date on which the Secretary has expended all covered
funds, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives a report detailing the obligation
and expenditure of, and the planned use for, such funds during
the period covered by the report, including a written
justification for any deviation in such obligations,
expenditures, or planned uses from such plan.
(b) Inspector General Audits.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and semiannually thereafter for
three years or until the Secretary has expended all covered
funds, whichever occurs first, the Inspector General of the
Department of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the House of Representatives a report examining the
obligations and expenditures made using covered funds during
the period covered by the report.
(2) Contents.--Each report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) A comparison of how the funds are being
obligated and expended to how the funds were planned to
be obligated and expended in the plan under subsection
(a)(1).
(B) Areas of waste, fraud, and abuse, if any.
(C) Such other matters as the Inspector General
considers appropriate.
(c) Comptroller General Reviews.--
(1) Interim report.--Not later than September 30, 2022, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report
containing a review of obligations and expenditures made using
covered funds.
(2) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) A review of the process of the Department of
Veterans Affairs for preparing the request for funds.
(B) An explanation of how the expenditure of such
funds met the goals of the Department during the public
health emergency for which the funds were made
available.
(C) Any recommendations to improve the process of
identifying needs and expending funds during similar
situations in the future.
(D) A review of the plans of the Department to
continue programs or investments that were begun with
such funds but will continue after such funds are
expended.
(3) Final report.--Not later than September 30, 2024, the
Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives a final report on the matters
specified under paragraph (2).
(d) Covered Funds Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered
funds'' means funds that are made available to the Department of
Veterans Affairs pursuant to--
(1) the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law
116-127);
(2) the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
(Public Law 116-136); or
(3) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-
2).
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