Notifying Congress of Conferences Sponsored by Department of Veterans Affairs

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 2302, as amended, contains provisions from three different bills. Section one retains the transparency concepts in the original version of the bill but responds partially to VA's concerns about the scope of covered conferences by increasing the reporting threshold to conferences costing $20,000 or more. The catalyst for this provision was a large VA conference held recently in Scottsdale, Arizona, that lasted 11 days and included $97,000 for consultant services out of a total cost of $221,500. At a time when every tax dollar is precious, it is our duty to ensure that VA conferences spend those dollars wisely. This would be an appropriate provision in any economic situation, not just in today's stagnant economy.

Section 2 includes the provisions of Chairman Miller's bill, H.R. 2388, that would streamline the committee's ability to get information from the VA. It has been our experience that VA incorrectly uses the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act, or HIPAA, to deny or delay providing information needed to resolve our constituents' cases. This bill would make it clear that requests for information for the committee's constitutional oversight duties are deemed to be an authorized disclosure under the Privacy Act and HIPAA.

Section 3 includes provisions introduced by the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Mr. McNerney, that would require the Department of Labor to include veterans' employment information submitted by Federal contractors on the Department's Web site.

Madam Speaker, title 38, United States Code, section 4212 requires Federal contractors to implement an affirmative action plan to hire veterans and to report on the success of that program. It is unfortunate that the Department of Labor, under several administrations, has largely ignored data that shows the extent to which Federal contractors are complying with the law. While I am aware of renewed efforts by the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance to enforce the law, Mr. McNerney's provision will help focus their attention on this issue, and I thank him for this important provision.

Each of these provisions will increase the transparency of Federal programs and improve our ability to hold the Federal Government accountable for not just funding but also its actions in managing the programs under our jurisdiction. I am also happy to report that my amendment has been scored by CBO as having insignificant costs.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source