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[Page H4679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1400
CFO AUTHORITY AND COLLABORATION ACT OF 2020
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6589) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop
and submit to Congress a plan to address the material weakness of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman call for the bill, as
amended?
Mr. TAKANO. I am checking. I do not have ``as amended.'' Madam
Speaker, I stand by the motion that I made that we suspend the rules
and pass H.R. 6589.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the title of the bill.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6589
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 ``CFO Authority and
Collaboration Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. PLAN TO ADDRESS MATERIAL WEAKNESS OF DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
(1) develop a plan, including steps and related timelines,
for fully addressing--
(A) the repeated material weakness of the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(B) the recommendations of the auditor related to entity
level controls, including the organizational structure of the
office of the Chief Financial Officer of the Department; and
(2) submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate and the House of Representatives a report containing a
description of--
(A) the plan developed under paragraph (1); and
(B) the steps the Secretary plans to take to provide
sufficient authority to the Chief Financial Officer of the
Department to carry out the requirements of section 902 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. 6589.
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. 6589, the CFO Authority and
Collaboration Act of 2020, which addresses the sometimes arcane but
also very important need for strong financial management and
accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Madam Speaker, each year, VA spends billions of dollars in support of
our Nation's veterans. Taxpayers deserve to know that each dollar is
spent wisely and that each dollar is properly accounted for in order to
avoid waste, fraud, and abuse.
Madam Speaker, the VA inspector general has determined what is called
a ``material weakness'' in how the Office of the Chief Financial
Officer is structured. This was a topic examined during hearings and
through oversight by our Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Mrs. Lee's legislation requires a small but important fix to ensure
strong financial accountability. I thank Mrs. Lee for sponsoring this
bipartisan legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6589.
Madam Speaker, I wish to, at this point, withdraw the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the motion is withdrawn.
There was no objection.
____________________