IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2911 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 18, 2021 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to 

Congress a plan for obligating and expending 

Coronavirus pandemic funding made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ‘‘VA Transparency & 

3 Trust Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF CORONAVIRUS 

5 PANDEMIC FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE TO 

6 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

7 (a) PLAN AND REPORTS BY SECRETARY.— 

8 (1) PLAN.—Not later than 30 days after the 

9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

10 Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on 

11 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

12 and the Senate a detailed plan for obligating and ex13 pending covered funds, including a detailed justifica14 tion for each type of obligation of such funds. 

15 (2) BIWEEKLY REPORTS.—Every 14 days dur16 ing the period beginning on the date on which the 

17 plan under paragraph (1) is submitted and ending 

18 seven days after the date on which the Secretary has 

19 expended all covered funds, the Secretary shall sub20 mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

21 House of Representatives and the Senate a report 

22 detailing the obligation and expenditure of, and the 

23 planned uses for, such funds during the period cov24 ered by the report, including a written justification 

25 for any deviation in such obligations, expenditures, 

26 or planned uses from such plan. 


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1 (b) INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDITS.—Not later than 

2 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

3 semiannually thereafter for three years or until the Sec4 retary has expended all covered funds, whichever occurs 

5 first, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans 

6 Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af7 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 

8 report examining the obligations and expenditures made 

9 using covered funds during the period covered by the re10 port. Each such report shall include— 

11 (1) a comparison of how the funds are being 

12 obligated and expended to how the funds were 

13 planned to be obligated and expended in the plan 

14 under subsection (a)(1); 

15 (2) areas of waste, fraud, and abuse, if any; 

16 and 

17 (3) any other matter the Inspector General de18 termines relevant. 

19 (c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEWS.— 

20 (1) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than Sep21 tember 30, 2022, the Comptroller General of the 

22 United States shall submit to the Committees on 

23 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

24 and the Senate an interim report containing a reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:06 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2911.RFS H2911

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1 view of obligations and expenditures made using cov2 ered funds. The report shall include— 

3 (A) a review of the process of the Depart4 ment of Veterans Affairs for preparing the re5 quest for funds; 

6 (B) an explanation of how the expenditure 

7 of such funds met the goals of the Department 

8 during the public health emergency for which 

9 the funds were made available; 

10 (C) any recommendations to improve the 

11 process of identifying needs and expending 

12 funds during similar situations in the future; 

13 and 

14 (D) a review of the plans of the Depart15 ment to continue programs or investments that 

16 were begun with such funds but will continue 

17 after such funds are expended. 

18 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than September 

19 30, 2024, the Comptroller General shall submit to 

20 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

21 Representatives and the Senate a final report on the 

22 matters specified under paragraph (1). 

23 (d) COVERED FUNDS DEFINED.—In this section, the 

24 term ‘‘covered funds’’ means funds that are made avail25 able to the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to— 


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1 (1) the Families First Coronavirus Response 

2 Act (Public Law 116–127); 

3 (2) the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 

4 Security Act (Public Law 116–136); or 

5 (3) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 

6 (Public Law 117–2). 

Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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