II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4778 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report 

on the use of security cameras in medical centers of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 1, 2020 

Mrs. CAPITO (for herself and Mr. MANCHIN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to 

Congress a report on the use of security cameras in 

medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. REPORT ON USE OF SECURITY CAMERAS IN 

4 MEDICAL CENTERS OF DEPARTMENT OF VET5 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet8 erans Affairs, in collaboration with the Office of Oper9 ations, Security, and Preparedness of the Department of 


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1 Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration, 

2 and the Office of Construction and Facilities Management 

3 of the Department, shall submit to the Committee on Vet4 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet5 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

6 regarding the policies and procedures of the Department 

7 relating to the usage and placement of security cameras 

8 throughout medical centers of the Department and the 

9 role such cameras play in patient safety, security of the 

10 medical center, and maintaining patient privacy. 

11 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

12 (a) shall include the following: 

13 (1) A specification of the policies and proce14 dures of the Department regarding the use of secu15 rity cameras at medical centers of the Department 

16 with respect to the following: 

17 (A) How the Department uses security 

18 cameras to protect patients, including— 

19 (i) an identification of the specific 

20 units within medical centers in which the 

21 use of security cameras is prioritized to 

22 protect patient safety; 

23 (ii) a description of the procedures 

24 that are in place to position security camVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Oct 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4778.IS S4778

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1 eras to ensure that staff of the Depart2 ment are properly caring for patients; 

3 (iii) a description of how the Depart4 ment uses security cameras to monitor 

5 staff; 

6 (iv) a description of the extent to 

7 which medical centers install security cam8 eras to monitor all locations where drugs 

9 are stored to ensure that drugs are ac10 counted for, and an assessment of whether 

11 this is a widely used practice; and 

12 (v) a description of improvements that 

13 can be made by the Department regarding 

14 the placement of security cameras and the 

15 storage of data from such cameras to bet16 ter hold staff accountable and ensure the 

17 safety of patients. 

18 (B) The extent to which the Department 

19 requires the use of security cameras at medical 

20 centers to enhance overall security, including— 

21 (i) a description of how exterior secu22 rity cameras are used; 

23 (ii) a description of how interior secu24 rity cameras are used; and 


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1 (iii) an identification of the locations, 

2 interior and exterior, in which the Depart3 ment prioritizes the use of security cam4 eras. 

5 (C) The patient privacy policy of the De6 partment with respect to the placement of secu7 rity cameras, including— 

8 (i) the extent to which the Depart9 ment authorizes security cameras to be 

10 placed outside of patient rooms to monitor 

11 who enters the room; and 

12 (ii) an identification of areas within 

13 medical centers where the use of security 

14 cameras is banned. 

15 (2) Recommendations for improving patient se16 curity and ensuring that staff is held accountable, 

17 including— 

18 (A) recommendations with respect to— 

19 (i) how the Department could better 

20 use security cameras to protect the safety 

21 of patients; 

22 (ii) the manner in which the Depart23 ment can better authorize direct super24 visors to monitor footage from security 

25 cameras; 


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1 (iii) specific units within medical cen2 ters in which the use of security cameras 

3 should be required to hold staff account4 able; 

5 (iv) the amount of funding necessary 

6 to address shortfalls with respect to secu7 rity cameras and the specific uses for such 

8 funding; and 

9 (v) the number of staff that each 

10 medical center should have monitoring 

11 footage from security cameras at all times; 

12 and 

13 (B) reasoning as to whether or not the 

14 Secretary would recommend that every hallway 

15 of each medical center have at least one secu16 rity camera. 

17 (3) Such other matters as the Secretary con18 siders necessary. 

Æ 


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