on the website at the request of a recipient committee or 
subcommittee, the Secretary shall post on the website a 
statement that the report is withheld at the request of 
such committee or subcommittee. 
(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-
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— 
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(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— 
(1) 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act; and 
(2) two 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 
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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 eight years before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act; or 
(B) a conference report adopted not more 
than eight years before the date of the enact-
ment 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 
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(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. 
Æ 
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