November 12, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 180 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H8751-H8753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        REDUCING HIGH RISK TO VETERANS AND VETERANS SERVICES ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4477) to direct the Secretary

[[Page H8752]]

of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a plan to address certain 
high risk areas identified by the Comptroller General of the United 
States regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs in the 2019 High-
Risk List of the Government Accountability Office, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4477

       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 ``Reducing High Risk to 
     Veterans and Veterans Services Act''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT AND PLANNED ACTIONS OF THE SECRETARY OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS TO ADDRESS CERTAIN HIGH-RISK 
                   AREAS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs, in consultation with the Comptroller General of the 
     United States, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
     outlining the plan the Secretary has developed and the 
     actions the Secretary has taken to address the areas of 
     concern identified by the Comptroller General for the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs in the 2019 High-Risk List of 
     the Government Accountability Office (GAO-19-157SP) 
     regarding--
       (1) acquisition management; and
       (2) managing risks and improving health care.
       (b) Elements.--The report under subsection (a) shall 
     include each of the following:
       (1) Root causes of the areas of concern described in 
     paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a).
       (2) Corrective actions and specific steps to address each 
     root cause, including--
       (A) the progress of the Secretary in implementing those 
     actions and steps; and
       (B) timelines and milestones the Secretary determines 
     feasible to complete each corrective action.
       (3) Resources the Secretary determines are necessary to 
     implement corrective actions, including--
       (A) funding;
       (B) stakeholders;
       (C) technology; and
       (D) senior officials responsible for implementing the 
     corrective actions and reporting results.
       (4) Metrics for assessing progress in addressing the areas 
     of concern described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
     (a).
       (5) Key outcomes that demonstrate progress in addressing 
     the areas of concern described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
     subsection (a).
       (6) Obstacles to implementation of the plan that the 
     Secretary identifies.
       (7) Recommendations of the Secretary regarding legislation 
     or funding the Secretary determines necessary to implement 
     the plan.
       (8) Any other information the Secretary determines is 
     relevant to understanding the progress of the Department 
     toward the removal of the areas of concern from the High Risk 
     List.
       (c) Annual Updates.--
       (1) Update required.--Not less than once each year during 
     the implementation period under paragraph (2), the Secretary 
     shall submit to Congress an update regarding implementation 
     of each element of the plan under subsection (b).
       (2) Implementation period.--The implementation period 
     described in this paragraph begins on the date on which the 
     Secretary submits the report required under subsection (a) 
     and ends on the earlier of the following dates:
       (A) The date on which the Comptroller General removes the 
     last area of concern for the Department from the most recent 
     High-Risk List of the Government Accountability Office.
       (B) The date that is eight years after the date on which 
     the Secretary submits the plan required under subsection (a).

     SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON 
                   IMPLEMENTATION OF PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS OF 
                   COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 
                   PERTAINING TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Annual Report Required.--Not later than 270 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less than once 
     during each of the subsequent three years, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives and to the 
     Comptroller General of the United States a report on the 
     implementation of priority recommendations of the Comptroller 
     General that pertain to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) 
     shall include, for the period covered by the report, the 
     following:
       (1) The progress of the Secretary in implementing all open 
     priority recommendations of the Comptroller General for the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (2) An explanation for each instance where the Secretary 
     has decided not to implement, or has not fully implemented, 
     an open priority recommendation of the Comptroller General 
     for the Department.
       (3) A summary of the corrective actions taken and remaining 
     steps the Secretary plans to take to implement open priority 
     recommendations of the Comptroller General.
       (c) Supplement Not Supplant Certain Required Reports or 
     Written Statements.--The report under this section shall not 
     be construed to supplant any report or written statement 
     required under section 720 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. 4477, as amended.
  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. 4477, as amended, the 
Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act.
  The Government Accountability Office provides important oversight 
across the Federal Government. As Congress' investigative arm, GAO 
audits and examines Department of Veterans Affairs programs and 
spending. The Comptroller General and his staff provide hundreds of 
recommendations on how to improve services and benefits. However, too 
often, GAO recommendations are ignored by the Department.
  H.R. 4477, as amended, is bipartisan legislation offered by the 
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations' Chairman Pappas and 
Ranking Member Bergman that seeks to address, in a systematic manner, 
GAO's most notable and important findings and recommendations.
  The act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a plan 
to address the two areas within VA identified as high risk by the 
Government Accountability Office. These are the Veterans Health 
Administration and acquisition management.
  Every 2 years, the Government Accountability Office releases its 
High-Risk List of Federal Government programs most vulnerable to fraud, 
waste, abuse, or mismanagement.
  Included in 2015, the Veterans Health Administration, the largest 
healthcare system in the country, remains on GAO's 2019 list.
  This was the first year that VA acquisition management was placed on 
the High-Risk List as a result of inefficient use of acquisition 
funding and staffing resources, as well as numerous contracting 
challenges. VA's acquisition management is vital to VA's functioning 
because of its role in medical supplies procurement and construction, 
both of which relate directly to VA's ability to serve veterans and 
provide quality medical care.
  The Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act requires 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to address the two 
areas within VA identified as high risk by the Government 
Accountability Office.

                              {time}  1630

  This plan will address the root causes of why these programs are at 
high risk and include specific timelines to correct the problems. VA 
will report to Congress on progress and ongoing challenges. The 
Department will also provide their views on whether Congress needs to 
take legislative action or provide additional resources.
  This bill has the support of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign 
Wars, and the DAV. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4477, as amended, the Reducing High 
Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act. This bill was introduced by 
Congressman Chris Pappas from New Hampshire and my good friend, 
Congressman Jack Bergman from Michigan, the chairman and ranking 
member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigation.
  Every 2 years, the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, 
publishes its High-Risk List identifying those activities that are 
considered high risk due to their vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, 
abuse, and mismanagement or that need transformation. GAO added 
managing risks and improving Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare 
to

[[Page H8753]]

its High-Risk List in 2015, and it remains there today.
  Last Congress, the committee held a roundtable discussion with 
representatives from VA and GAO to address VA's progress towards 
addressing GAO's concerns. While it takes an agency, on average, 7 
years to be removed from the list, VA has demonstrated little progress. 
Additionally, GAO added that VA Acquisition Management to its 2019 
list.
  H.R. 4477, as amended, would require VA to develop a plan of action 
to address deficiencies in acquisition management and healthcare that 
led GAO to place VA on their High-Risk List in 2015 and again in 2017 
and again in 2019. It would also incorporate a provision under H.R. 
698, a bill introduced by Representative   Jim Banks of Indiana, to 
direct VA to report on its efforts to address GAO's priority 
recommendations and GAO's top 30 open recommendations.
  Our Nation's veterans and taxpayers deserve a VA that is high 
performing and that acts quickly to address areas of concern as they 
arise. This help will help ensure that they get it done.
  I am grateful to Congressman Pappas and General Bergman for 
sponsoring this bill, which has my full support, but I would be remiss 
if I did not point out that this is another bill that did not go 
through regular order.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to 
yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Bergman), a lieutenant general--and for those of you all who don't 
know what that is, it is three stars; I only made it to a major--to 
describe his bill.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Speaker, basically, when you have three stars, it 
just means you outlasted a lot of folks. But the point is the honor of 
being able to serve among marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and 
coastguardsmen is enough to make us all swell with pride because, you 
know, yesterday was Veteran's Day, and it is a real special day 
thanking the veterans of all wars for their service to our country.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4477, as amended, the Reducing High 
Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act, a bill introduced by 
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Chris Pappas and co-
led by myself.
  Every 2 years, GAO publishes its High-Risk List identifying those 
activities which are considered high risk due to their vulnerabilities 
to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or their need for 
transformation. Sometimes things don't always stay the same, and we 
need to move forward with the change.
  As Ranking Member Roe stated, GAO added managing risks and improving 
VA healthcare to its list in 2015 and added VA Acquisition Management 
in 2019. This past May, the Comptroller General of the United States 
testified before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, where I 
am proud to serve as ranking member, concerning the Department's 
efforts to add GAO recommendations.
  Comptroller General Dodaro testified during the hearing: ``I want to 
emphasize hardly any area in the high-risk area gets off the list 
without sustained congressional oversight, as well, and action by the 
Congress. The engagement by the Congress is absolutely critical to the 
success of agencies coming off the High-Risk List.''
  The intent of this bill is to focus VA on its efforts to remove these 
two programs from GAO's High-Risk List and give Congress the 
information needed to provide the sustained congressional oversight the 
Comptroller General said was absolutely necessary and needed to remove 
programs from the High-Risk List.
  H.R. 4477 was amended in committee to incorporate provisions of H.R. 
698, a bill introduced by Representative Banks, which would require VA 
to report on its efforts to implement GAO's priority recommendations 
for VA.
  I strongly encourage all Members to support H.R. 4477, as amended.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members 
to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in 
passing H.R. 4477, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4477, 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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