II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2001 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the management of 

information technology within the Department of Veterans Affairs by 

providing for the Chief Information Officer of that Department to have 

authority over resources, budget, and personnel related to the support 

function of information technology, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 10, 2005 

Mr. THUNE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 

management of information technology within the Department of Veterans Affairs by providing for the Chief 

Information Officer of that Department to have authority 

over resources, budget, and personnel related to the support function of information technology, and for other 

purposes. 

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Vet3 erans Affairs Information Technology Management Im4 provement Act of 2005’’. 

5 SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN 

6 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

7 (a) RESOURCES, BUDGET, AND PERSONNEL AU8 THORITY OF CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.—Section 

9 310 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following new subsections: 

11 ‘‘(c) To support the economical, efficient, and effec12 tive execution of the information technology objectives, 

13 policies, and plans of the Department in support of De14 partment goals, the Secretary shall ensure that the Chief 

15 Information Officer has the authority and control nec16 essary for the development, approval, implementation, in17 tegration, and oversight of policies, procedures, processes, 

18 activities, and systems of the Department relating to the 

19 management of information technology for the Depart20 ment, including the management of all related mission ap21 plications, information resources, personnel, and infra22 structure. 

23 ‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary, acting through the Chief In24 formation Officer, shall develop, implement, and maintain 

25 a process for the selection and oversight of information 

26 technology for the Department. 
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1 ‘‘(2) As components of the development of the process 

2 required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall develop for 

3 the Department— 

4 ‘‘(A) an information technology strategic plan 

5 that includes performance measurements; and 

6 ‘‘(B) an integrated enterprise architecture. 

7 ‘‘(3) The information technology strategic plan shall 

8 set forth a multiyear plan for the use of information tech9 nology and related resources to support the accomplish10 ment of the Department’s mission. 

11 ‘‘(4) The Chief Information Officer shall review and 

12 update the information technology strategic plan and the 

13 integrated enterprise architecture on an ongoing basis to 

14 maintain the currency of the plan and the currency of the 

15 enterprise architecture with technological changes and 

16 changing mission needs of the Department. 

17 ‘‘(e)(1) Funds may be obligated for information tech18 nology for the Department only in accordance with the 

19 process implemented under subsection (d), as otherwise 

20 specifically authorized or delegated by the Chief Informa21 tion Officer, or as otherwise directed by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(2)(A) Amounts appropriated for the Department 

23 for any fiscal year that are available for information tech24 nology shall be allocated within the Department, con25 sistent with the provisions of appropriations Acts, in such 
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1 manner as may be specified by, or approved by, the Chief 

2 Information Officer. 

3 ‘‘(B) If for any fiscal year amounts referred to in sub4 paragraph (A) that are available for the Veterans Health 

5 Administration (or are otherwise available for functions 

6 relating to medical care) are to be allocated under sub7 paragraph (A) in a manner that is inconsistent with the 

8 allocation method known as the Veterans Equitable Re9 source Allocation, such allocation may be made only with 

10 the approval of the Secretary and after the Under Sec11 retary for Health is notified. 

12 ‘‘(3) When the budget for any fiscal year is submitted 

13 by the President to Congress under section 1105 of title 

14 31, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 

15 identifies amounts requested for information technology 

16 for the Department. The report shall set forth those 

17 amounts both for each Administration within the Depart18 ment and for the Department in the aggregate and shall 

19 identify, for each such amount, how that amount is 

20 aligned with and supports the information technology stra21 tegic plan under subsection (d), as then in effect. 

22 ‘‘(f)(1) The Chief Information Officer shall select the 

23 Chief Information Officer for each of the Veterans Health 

24 Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, 

25 and the National Cemetery Administration. Any such se-
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1 lection may only be made after consultation with the 

2 Under Secretary with responsibility for the Administration 

3 for which the selection is to be made. 

4 ‘‘(2) Each Administration Chief Information Officer 

5 selected under paragraph (1)— 

6 ‘‘(A) shall be designated as a Department Dep7 uty Chief Information Officer; and 

8 ‘‘(B) shall report to the Department Chief In9 formation Officer. 

10 ‘‘(3) The Department Deputy Chief Information Offi11 cers are responsible for implementing in their respective 

12 Administrations, as directed by the Department Chief In13 formation Officer, the information technology strategic 

14 plan and the integrated enterprise architecture developed 

15 for the Department by the Department Chief Information 

16 Officer pursuant to subsection (d)(2). 

17 ‘‘(4) To accomplish the policies, programmatic goals, 

18 information technology system acquisitions, and align19 ments prescribed, authorized, or directed by the Depart20 ment Chief Information Officer, each Department Deputy 

21 Chief Information Officer shall maintain, for their respec22 tive Administrations, operational control of all information 

23 technology system assets and personnel necessary, includ24 ing direct management of the Administration’s software 

25 and applications development activities. 
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1 ‘‘(5) The Department Deputy Chief Information Offi2 cers— 

3 ‘‘(A) shall be the principal advocate for the in4 formation technology needs of their respective Ad5 ministrations; and 

6 ‘‘(B) shall assure, by coordinating with the De7 partment Chief Information Officer, that the busi8 ness and mission needs of their respective Adminis9 trations are met by considering requirements at all 

10 levels. 

11 ‘‘(g)(1) The Secretary shall ensure that the annual 

12 report submitted by the Secretary pursuant to section 

13 11313 of title 40 includes an identification of any obliga14 tion approved by the Chief Information Officer under sub15 section (e)(1), including the date, amount, and purpose 

16 of such obligation. 

17 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

18 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep19 resentatives an annual report, not later than March 1 of 

20 each year (beginning in 2009), providing the Secretary’s 

21 assessment of the implementation during the year covered 

22 by the report of the provisions of subsections (c), (d), and 

23 (e). Each such report shall include— 

24 ‘‘(A) the assessment of the Secretary as to in25 creased efficiency within the Department of informa-
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1 tion technology acquisition processes, management, 

2 responsibility, and accountability as a result of those 

3 provisions; and 

4 ‘‘(B) estimated cost savings to the Department 

5 as a result of those provisions. 

6 ‘‘(h) In this section, the term ‘information tech7 nology’ has the meaning given that term in paragraph (6) 

8 of section 11101 of title 40.’’. 

9 (b) REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION.— 

10 (1) PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS.— 

11 (A) REPORTS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

12 of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress 

13 progress reports on the implementation of sub14 sections (c), (d), and (e), of section 310 of title 

15 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 

16 (a). 

17 (B) TIME FOR PROGRESS REPORTS.—A re18 port under subparagraph (A) shall be submitted 

19 as expeditiously as feasible after the end of the 

20 60-day period, the 90-day period, and the 180- 

21 day period beginning on the date of the enact22 ment of this Act. 

23 (C) MATTER TO BE INCLUDED.—Each re24 port under this paragraph shall set out the 
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1 progress to date on the implementation of the 

2 provisions specified in subparagraph (A). 

3 (2) INTERIM REPORTS.—After the completion 

4 of the first 12 months, and after the completion of 

5 the first 18 months, of the implementation of the 

6 provisions specified in paragraph (1)(A), the Sec7 retary shall submit to Congress an interim report on 

8 the operation of those provisions to that date. Each 

9 such report shall include the following: 

10 (A) The assessment of the Secretary as to 

11 increased efficiency within the Department of 

12 Veterans Affairs of information technology ac13 quisition processes, management, responsibility, 

14 and accountability. 

15 (B) Estimated cost savings to the Depart16 ment as a result of those provisions. 

17 (3) FINAL IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.—Not 

18 later than January 1, 2008, the Secretary shall sub19 mit to Congress a final report on the implementation 

20 of the provisions specified in paragraph (1)(A). The 

21 Secretary shall include in that report the matters 

22 specified in paragraph (2) and the Secretary’s rec23 ommendation for any modifications to information 
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1 technology management within the Department of 

2 Veterans Affairs. 

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