IIB 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7337 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 18, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To require the Archivist of the United States to submit 
a plan to Congress to eliminate the records backlog at 
the National Personnel Records Center, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access for Veterans 
to Records Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. PLAN TO ELIMINATE RECORDS BACKLOG AT THE 
NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER. 
(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Archivist of the 
United States shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a comprehensive plan for reducing the 
backlog of requests for records from the National Per-
sonnel Records Center and improving the efficiency and 
responsiveness of operations at the National Personnel 
Records Center, that includes, at a minimum, the fol-
lowing: 
(1) An estimate of the number of backlogged 
record requests for veterans. 
(2) Target timeframes to reduce the backlog. 
(3) A detailed plan for using existing funds to 
improve the information technology infrastructure, 
including secure access to appropriate agency Fed-
eral records, to prevent future backlogs. 
(4) Actions to improve customer service for re-
questers. 
(5) Measurable goals with respect to the com-
prehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress 
toward such goals. 
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(6) Strategies to prevent future record request 
backlogs, including backlogs caused by an event that 
prevents employees of the Center from reporting to 
work in person. 
(b) UPDATES.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
on which the comprehensive plan is submitted under sub-
section (a), and biannually thereafter until the response 
rate by the National Personnel Records Center reaches 90 
percent of all requests in 20 days or less, not including 
any request involving a record damaged or lost in the Na-
tional Personnel Records Center fire of 1973 or any re-
quest that is subject to a fee that has not been paid in 
a timely manner by the requestor (provided the National 
Personnel Records Center issues an invoice within 20 days 
after the date on which the request is made), the Archivist 
of the United States shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees an update of such plan that— 
(1) describes progress made by the National 
Personnel Records Center during the preceding 90- 
day period with respect to record request backlog re-
duction and efficiency and responsiveness improve-
ment; 
(2) provides data on progress made toward the 
goals identified in the comprehensive plan; and 
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(3) describes any changes made to the com-
prehensive plan. 
(c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out 
subsections (a) and (b), the Archivist of the United States 
shall consult with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Oversight and Reform 
and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the Senate. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO ADDRESS RECORDS 
BACKLOG. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to amounts otherwise available, there is authorized 
to be appropriated to the National Archives and Records 
Administration, $60,000,000 to address backlogs in re-
sponding to requests from veterans for military personnel 
records, improve cybersecurity, improve digital preserva-
tion and access to archival Federal records, and address 
backlogs in requests made under section 552 of title 5, 
United States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom 
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of Information Act). Such amounts may also be used for 
the Federal Records Center Program. 
(b) REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN IN-PERSON STAFF-
ING LEVELS.—Not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Archivist of the United 
States shall ensure that the National Personnel Records 
Center maintains staffing levels and telework arrange-
ments that enable the maximum processing of records re-
quests possible in order to achieve the performance goal 
of responding to 90 percent of all requests in 20 days or 
less, not including any request involving a record damaged 
or lost in the National Personnel Records Center fire of 
1973 or any request that is subject to a fee that has not 
been paid in a timely manner by the requestor (provided 
the National Personnel Records Center issues an invoice 
within 20 days after the date on which the request is 
made). 
(c) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORTING.—The Inspec-
tor General for the National Archives and Records Admin-
istration shall, for two years following the date of the en-
actment of this Act, include in every semiannual report 
submitted to Congress pursuant to the Inspector General 
Act of 1978, a detailed summary of— 
(1) efforts taken by the National Archives and 
Records Administration to address the backlog of 
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records requests at the National Personnel Records 
Center; and 
(2) any recommendations for action proposed 
by the Inspector General related to reducing the 
backlog of records requests at the National Per-
sonnel Records Center and the status of compliance 
with those recommendations by the National Ar-
chives and Records Administration. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2022. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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