To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a Women's Bureau in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Summary: Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs a Center for Women Veterans, headed by a Director.  Specifies duties of the Director, including:  (1) providing advice on and making recommendations with respect to the adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting women veterans; (2) promoting the use of, and disseminating information concerning, benefits available to women veterans; (3) conducting research on the needs of women veterans; and (4) providing support and administrative services to the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. 
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to:  (1) ensure that the Director is furnished sufficient resources to carry out Center functions; and (2) include in annual budget documents submitted to the Congress information with respect to Center budget, activities, and accomplishments. 
Deletes female veterans from the list of minority group members for whom the Chief Minority Affairs Officer has special responsibility. 
Requires the Advisory Committee to meet as often as considered necessary or appropriate by the Secretary, but no less often than twice each fiscal year.

SECTION 1. CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--(1) Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 318. Center for Women Veterans
    ``(a) There is in the Department a Center for Women Veterans. There 
is at the head of the Center a Director.
    ``(b) The Director shall be a noncareer appointee in the Senior 
Executive Service. The Director shall be appointed for a term of six 
years.
    ``(c) The Director reports directly to the Secretary or the Deputy 
Secretary concerning the activities of the Center.
    ``(d) The Director shall perform the following functions with 
respect to veterans who are women:
            ``(1) Serve as principal adviser to the Secretary on the 
        adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting 
        veterans who are women.
            ``(2) Make recommendations to the Secretary, the Under 
        Secretary for Health, the Under Secretary for Benefits, and 
        other Department officials for the establishment or improvement 
        of programs in the Department for which veterans who are women 
        are eligible.
            ``(3) Promote the use of benefits authorized by this title 
        by veterans who are women and the conduct of outreach 
        activities to veterans who are women, in conjunction with 
        outreach activities carried out under chapter 77 of this title.
            ``(4) Disseminate information and serve as a resource 
        center for the exchange of information regarding innovative and 
        successful programs which improve the services available to 
        veterans who are women.
            ``(5) Conduct and sponsor appropriate social and 
        demographic research on the needs of veterans who are women and 
        the extent to which programs authorized under this title meet 
        the needs of those veterans, without regard to any law 
        concerning the collection of information from the public.
            ``(6) Analyze and evaluate complaints made by or on behalf 
        of veterans who are women about the adequacy and timeliness of 
        services provided by the Department and advise the appropriate 
        official of the Department of the results of such analysis or 
        evaluation.
            ``(7) Consult with, and provide assistance and information 
        to, officials responsible for administering Federal, State, 
        local, and private programs that assist veterans, to encourage 
        those officials to adopt policies which promote the use of 
        those programs by veterans who are women.
            ``(8) Advise the Secretary when laws or policies have the 
        effect of discouraging the use of benefits by veterans who are 
        women.
            ``(9) Publicize the results of medical research which are 
        of particular significance to veterans who are women.
            ``(10) Advise the Secretary and other appropriate officials 
        on the effectiveness of the Department's efforts to accomplish 
        the goals of section 492B of the Public Health Service Act 
        (relating to the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical 
        research) and of particular health conditions affecting womens' 
        health which should be studied as part of the Department's 
        medical research program and promote cooperation between the 
        Department and other sponsors of medical research of potential 
        benefit to veterans who are women.
            ``(11) Provide support and administrative services to the 
        Advisory Committee on Women Veterans established under section 
        542 of this title.
            ``(12) Perform such other duties consistent with this 
        section as the Secretary shall prescribe.
    ``(e) The Secretary shall ensure that the Director is furnished 
sufficient resources to enable the Director to carry out the functions 
of the Center in a timely manner.
    ``(f) The Secretary shall include in documents submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary in support of the President's budget for each 
fiscal year--
            ``(1) detailed information on the budget for the Center;
            ``(2) the Secretary's opinion as to whether the resources 
        (including the number of employees) proposed in the budget for 
        that fiscal year are adequate to enable the Center to comply 
        with its statutory and regulatory duties; and
            ``(3) a report on the activities and significant 
        accomplishments of the Center during the preceding fiscal 
        year.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``318. Center for Women Veterans.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 317(c) of such title is 
amended--
            (1) by striking out ``who is--'' and inserting in lieu 
        thereof ``who is any of the following:'';
            (2) by striking out the semicolon at the end of paragraphs 
        (1) through (4) and inserting in lieu thereof a period;
            (3) by striking out ``; or'' at the end of paragraph (5) 
        and inserting in lieu thereof a period; and
            (4) by striking out paragraph (6).

SEC. 2. MEETINGS OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN VETERANS.

    Section 542(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(4) The Committee shall meet as often as the Secretary considers 
necessary or appropriate, but not less often than twice each fiscal 
year.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 1994.

            Attest:

                                           DONNALD K. ANDERSON,

                                                                 Clerk.