Should the VA Make All its Reports to Congress Searchable on its Website? (H.R. 4613)

What is H.R. 4613?

(Updated November 17, 2020)

This bill would require the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a searchable website that allows the public to obtain electronic copies of all reports the VA prepares in response to requests by Congress. The VA would be required to post all reports completed in the last eight years to this site, and to post new reports on an ongoing basis. Additionally, the VA would be required to submit to Congress a list of recurring reports that it recommends be discontinued.

To keep reports up-to-date, this bill would also require electronic copies of reports be made available within three days of submission to Congress, and that reports be made available for free.

Argument in favor

The VA’s reports to Congress are an important source of information about veterans’ affairs in the U.S. As such, they should be publicly accessible and searchable on the agency’s website.

Argument opposed

This bill is unnecessary because the VA already makes most of its reports available on its website.

Impact

The VA; VA’s reports to Congress; and the VA’s website.

Cost of H.R. 4613

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2020-2024 period, due largely to the fact that most of VA’s reports are already available on its website.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) introduced this bill to increase transparency at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA). When he introduced this bill, Rep. Rose said: 

“When the VA is required to study an issue and report back, what’s the use if it’s impossible to find? This is a commonsense proposal that would ensure that veterans and the public would have easy access to these public documents."

After this bill’s committee passage, Rep. Rose said: 

“This is an important step towards more transparency and accountability at the VA for our veterans community. This is a commonsense proposal that has received clear, bipartisan support—and I hope to see quick action both in the House and Senate to get this across the finish line.”

Original cosponsor Rep. Gil Cisernos (D-CA) adds: 

“As a Navy veteran, it’s troubling that veterans face difficulty in accessing public documents at the VA. We should be working to make it easier for our veterans to access the information they need, not harder. I’m proud to join Congressman Rose in introducing this bill to guarantee accountability and transparency at the VA and promote a system that serves those who have served us.”

This legislation passed the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs by voice vote with the support of two bipartisan cosponsors (one from each party).

Of Note: Congress often requires the VA to produce reports on issues pertaining to veterans. These include issues around service and accessibility, such as nurse staffing, fraud prevention efforts and the activities of the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower protection.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) Press Release After Committee Passage
  
• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• MeriTalk
  
• Orange County Breeze