IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4613 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2020 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
AN ACT 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and 
maintain a website of the Department that allows the 
public to obtain electronic copies of certain legislatively 
requested reports of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Reporting Trans-
parency Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REQUIRING PUBLIC ACCESS THROUGH DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS WEBSITE TO 
LEGISLATIVELY REQUESTED REPORTS OF 
THE DEPARTMENT. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO ALLOW ACCESS ONLINE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall establish and maintain a website of the Depart-
ment that allows the public to obtain electronic cop-
ies of all legislatively requested reports required to 
be submitted after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(2) EXISTING RESOURCES.—To the extent pos-
sible, the Secretary shall carry out paragraph (1) by 
using existing online resources administered by the 
Secretary. 
(b) CONTENT AND FUNCTION.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that the website includes the following: 
(1) With respect to each legislatively requested 
report, each of the following: 
(A) A citation to the statute requiring the 
report. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
(B) An electronic copy of the report, in-
cluding any transmittal letter associated with 
the report, that is platform independent and 
available to the public without restrictions, in-
cluding restrictions that would impede the reuse 
of the information in the report. Where prac-
ticable, the report shall be in an open format. 
(C) The ability to retrieve a report, to the 
extent practicable, through searches based on 
each, and any combination, of the following: 
(i) The title of the report. 
(ii) The date of publication. 
(iii) Any congressional committee or 
subcommittee receiving the report. 
(iv) The Act of Congress or confer-
ence report that requests the report. 
(v) Subject tags. 
(vi) A unique alphanumeric identifier 
for the report that is consistent across re-
port editions. 
(vii) Any serial number, Superinten-
dent of Documents number, or other iden-
tification number for the report. 
(viii) Key words. 
(ix) Full text search. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
(x) Any other information the Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
(D) The date on which the report was re-
quired to be submitted to the website. 
(E) The date on which the report was sub-
mitted to the website. 
(F) To the extent practicable, a permanent 
means of accessing the report electronically. 
(2) A means for bulk download of all legisla-
tively requested reports. 
(3) A means for downloading individual reports 
as the result of a search. 
(4) In tabular form, a list of all legislatively re-
quested reports that can be searched, sorted, and 
downloaded by— 
(A) reports submitted within the required 
time; 
(B) reports submitted after the date on 
which such reports were required to be sub-
mitted; and 
(C) reports not submitted. 
(c) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall ensure that in-
formation required to be published on the website under 
this Act with respect to a legislatively requested report 
submitted after the period under subsection (a)(1) is pub-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
lished not earlier than 30 days after the report is sub-
mitted and not later than 45 days after the report is sub-
mitted. 
(d) NOTICE ON WEBSITE OF WITHHELD REPORTS.— 
If, at the time a requirement or request for a legislatively 
requested report is made pursuant to an Act of Congress 
or a conference report, Congress includes in such Act or 
conference report, as the case may be, specific language 
exempting the report from publication on a website under 
this section, the Secretary shall publish on such website 
the title of the report and notice that Congress exempted 
the report from publication. 
(e) FREE ACCESS.—The Secretary may not charge 
a fee, require registration, or impose any other limitation 
in exchange for access to the website. 
SEC. 3. RELATIONSHIP TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA-
TION ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act shall be con-
strued to— 
(1) require the disclosure of information, 
records, or reports that are exempt from public dis-
closure under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code; or 
(2) impose any affirmative duty on the Sec-
retary to review legislatively requested reports sub-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
mitted for publication to the website for the purpose 
of identifying and redacting such information or 
records. 
(b) REDACTION OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary 
may redact information required to be disclosed under this 
Act if the information would be properly withheld from 
disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code, and shall— 
(1) redact information required to be disclosed 
under this Act if disclosure of such information is 
prohibited by law; 
(2) redact only such information properly with-
held under this subsection from the submission of 
information or from any legislatively requested re-
port submitted under this Act; 
(3) identify where any such redaction is made 
in the submission or report; and 
(4) identify the exemption under which each 
such redaction is made. 
SEC. 4. REPORTS REQUIRED. 
(a) RECURRING REPORTS THAT THE SECRETARY 
RECOMMENDS
DISCONTINUING.—The Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report regarding recurring legisla-
tively requested reports that the Secretary recommends 
discontinuing not later than— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
(1) 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act; and 
(2) 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
(b) COMPLIANCE OF VA WEBSITE WITH FEDERAL 
STATUTES, REGULATIONS, RULES, AND GUIDANCE.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
regarding the compliance of the website of the Department 
with Federal statutes, regulations, rules, and guidance re-
garding transparency for and access by the public and 
Congress, including requirements for links and informa-
tion subject to section 552 of title 5, United States Code, 
and the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95– 
452). 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) LEGISLATIVELY REQUESTED REPORT.—The 
term ‘‘legislatively requested report’’ means a report 
to be submitted by the Secretary to either house of 
Congress or any committee of Congress or sub-
committee thereof pursuant to— 
(A) an Act of Congress enacted not more 
than 8 years before the date of the enactment 
of this Act; or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
HR 4613 RFS
(B) a conference report adopted not more 
than 8 years before the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(2) OPEN FORMAT.—The term ‘‘open format’’ 
means a file format for storing digital data based on 
an underlying open standard that— 
(A) is not encumbered by any restrictions 
that would impede reuse; and 
(B) is based on an underlying open data 
standard that is maintained by a standards or-
ganization. 
(3) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 25, 
2020. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:03 Feb 27, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4613.RFS
H4613
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS