I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 335
To establish the Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 7, 1997
Mr. SOLOMON (for himself and Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,
and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish the Commission on the Future for America’s
Veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on the
Future for America’s Veterans Act’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.
There is established a commission to be known as the
Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans (here-
inafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’).
SEC. 3. MEMBERSHIP.
(a) COMPOSITION.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission shall be
composed of 12 members appointed in accordance
with paragraph (2) and 3 ex officio members des-
ignated in paragraph (3).
(2) APPOINTED
MEMBERS.—Members of the
Commission shall be appointed as follows:
(A) The Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the majority leader of the Sen-
ate, acting jointly, in consultation with the
chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs of the Senate and the chairman of the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of
Representatives, shall appoint four members.
(B) Eight members shall be appointed
from among individuals who are not full-time
officers or employees of the United States as
follows:
(i) The chairman of the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the
ranking member of that committee shall
each appoint one member.
(ii) The chairman of the Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the ranking member of
that committee shall each appoint one
member.
(iii) The chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services of the Senate and the
ranking member of that committee shall
each appoint one member.
(iv) The chairman of the Committee
on National Security of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the ranking member of
that committee shall each appoint one
member.
(C) Members appointed under this para-
graph shall have appropriate experience and ex-
pertise on veterans, organizational, and man-
agement matters, as well as on health care serv-
ices available to veterans provided by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs, and to the maximum
extent practicable, shall be veterans.
(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The following shall
serve as members of the Commission:
(A) The Under Secretary for Health of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Under
Secretary’s designee.
(B) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Health Affairs of the Department of Defense,
or the Assistant Secretary’s designee.
(C) The Assistant Secretary for Planning
and Evaluation of the Department of Health
and Human Services, or the Assistant Sec-
retary’s designee.
(b) DESIGNATION OF THE CHAIRMAN.—The Speaker
of the House of Representatives and the majority leader
of the Senate, acting jointly, in consultation with the
chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the
Senate and the chairman of the Committee on Veterans’
Affairs of the House of Representatives shall, from the
members appointed under subsection (a)(1), designate the
chairman of the Commission.
(c) TIME FOR APPOINTMENT, DESIGNATION.—The
members of the Commission shall be appointed and the
chairman of the Commission shall be designated not later
than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—
(1) PERIOD.—Members of the Commission shall
be appointed for the life of the Commission.
(2) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Commis-
sion shall not affect its powers and shall be filled in
the same manner as the original appointment.
(e) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the
Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser num-
ber may hold hearings.
(f) MEETINGS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall meet
at the call of the chairman of the Commission.
(2) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days
after the date on which all members of the Commis-
sion have been appointed, the Commission shall hold
its first meeting.
(g) MAJORITY VOTE.—The Commission may not sub-
mit a legislative proposal or make a recommendation or
report to Congress unless the proposal, recommendation
or report is approved by a majority of the members of
the Commission present and voting, a quorum being
present.
(h) AUTHORITY OF INDIVIDUALS TO ACT FOR COM-
MISSION.—Any member or agent of the Commission may,
if authorized by the Commission, take any action which
the Commission is authorized to take under this Act.
SEC. 4. DUTIES.
(a) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a com-
prehensive study of health care services provided by the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(b) MATTERS STUDIED.—The matters studied by the
Commission shall include—
(1) legislative proposals to improve delivery of
health care to veterans, including H.R. 1767 of the
104th Congress, H.R. 3117 of the 104th Congress,
H.R. 3119 of the 104th Congress, and the G.I. Bill
of Health (H.R. 3950 of the 104th Congress);
(2) alternative means for delivery of health care
to a veteran (such as managed care); and
(3) eligibility reform.
(c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT BILL.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Commission shall submit to Congress a legislative
proposal in the form of a draft bill (hereinafter in
this Act referred to as a ‘‘demonstration project
bill’’).
(2) CONTENT OF BILL.—
(A) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—A dem-
onstration project bill shall authorize the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to implement tem-
porary demonstration projects to improve health
care services under the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(B) IMPLEMENTATION AT MEDICAL CEN-
TERS.—A demonstration project bill shall pro-
vide that the temporary demonstration projects
be implemented at no fewer than 20 and no
greater than 40 Department of Veterans Af-
fairs medical centers specified in the dem-
onstration project bill.
(C) SELECTION OF CENTERS.—In selecting
the centers under subparagraph (B), the chair-
man, in consultation with the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, shall assure a diversity of centers
according to geographic areas, demographic
characteristics of, and specialized medical serv-
ices provided by individual centers.
(D) 
TERMINATION.—A 
demonstration
project bill shall provide that the temporary
demonstration projects terminate not later than
18 months after the date of the enactment of
the Act providing for such temporary dem-
onstration projects.
(d) EVALUATION OF PROJECTS; AUDIT.—The Com-
mission shall monitor and evaluate the temporary dem-
onstration projects and shall arrange for audits of such
projects.
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 15 months after the
date of the enactment of the Act providing for the tem-
porary demonstration projects under subsection (c), the
chairman of the Commission shall submit to Congress a
report which contains a detailed statement of the findings
and conclusions of the Commission with respect to the
temporary demonstration projects, together with rec-
ommendations for such legislation and administrative ac-
tion as the Commission considers appropriate.
SEC. 5. EXPEDITED CONGRESSIONAL PROCEDURE.
(a) PROCEDURE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES.—
(1) 
INTRODUCTION
OF
DEMONSTRATION
PROJECT BILL.—A qualified demonstration project
bill is one that is introduced by the majority leader
of the House of Representatives for himself and the
minority leader of the House of Representatives, or
by Members designated jointly by the majority lead-
er and the minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives, not later than the close of the 15th day
after the date on which such bill is submitted to the
House of Representatives under section 4(c).
(2) COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION.—If a commit-
tee to which a qualified demonstration project bill
has been referred has not reported such bill at the
close of the 10th day after the date of the bill’s in-
troduction, such committee shall be automatically
discharged from further consideration of the bill,
and the bill shall be placed on the appropriate cal-
endar.
(3) COMPUTATION OF DAYS.—For purposes of
this subsection, in computing the number of days,
there shall be excluded any day on which the House
of Representatives is not in session.
(b) PROCEDURE IN THE SENATE.—
(c) RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND SENATE.—This section is enacted by the Congress—
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of
the House of Representatives and the Senate, re-
spectively, and as such it shall be considered as part
of the rules of each House, respectively, or of that
House to which it specifically applies, and such rules
shall supersede other rules only to the extent that
they are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional
right of either House to change the rules (so far as
relating to such House) at any time, in the same
manner and to the same extent as in the case of any
other rule of that House.
SEC. 6. POWERS.
(a) HEARINGS.—The Commission may hold such
hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take such
testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission
considers advisable to carry out the purposes of this Act.
(b) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The
chairman of the Commission may secure directly from any
department or agency of the Federal Government such in-
formation as the chairman of the Commission considers
necessary to carry out the duties under this Act. Upon
request of the chairman of the Commission, the head of
such department or agency shall furnish such information
expeditiously to the Commission.
(c) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—The Commission may
contract with and compensate government and private
agencies or persons for supplies or services, without regard
to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5).
SEC. 7. MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use
the United States mails in the same manner and under
the same conditions as other departments and agencies of
the Federal Government.
(b) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, and
dispose of gifts or donations of services or property.
(c) MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of
Defense shall, upon the request of the chairman of the
Commission, furnish the Commission, on a reimbursable
basis, such administrative and support services as the
Commission may require.
SEC. 8. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.
(a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), each member of the Commission shall be
compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent
of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level
IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of
title 5, United States Code, for each day (including
travel time) during which such member is engaged
in performing the duties of the Commission.
(2) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION OF FED-
ERAL
EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Commission
who are full-time officers or employees of the United
States or Members of Congress may not receive ad-
ditional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of
their service on the Commission.
(b) TRAVEL.—Members and personnel of the Com-
mission may travel on military aircraft, military vehicles,
or other military conveyances when travel is necessary in
the performance of a duty of the Commission except when
the cost of commercial transportation is less expensive.
(c) STAFF.—
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The chairman of the Com-
mission may appoint, without regard to civil service
laws and regulations, an executive director and such
additional personnel as may be necessary to carry
out the duties of the Commission.
(2) PREFERENCE TO VETERANS.—
(A) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The executive
director of the Commission shall be a veteran.
(B) ADDITIONAL
PERSONNEL.—In ap-
pointing additional personnel to the Commis-
sion, the chairman shall give preference to vet-
erans.
(3) COMPENSATION OF STAFF.—The chairman
of the Commission may fix the compensation of the
executive director and additional personnel without
regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub-
chapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States
Code, relating to classification of positions and Gen-
eral Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay
for the executive director and additional personnel
may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the
Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
(d) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Upon
request of the chairman of the Commission, the head of
any department or agency of the Federal Government may
detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, any personnel of the
department or agency to the Commission to assist the
Commission in carrying out its duties under this Act.
(e) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT-
TENT SERVICES.—The chairman of the Commission may
procure temporary and intermittent services under section
3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individ-
uals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual
rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive
Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
SEC. 9. FUNDING.
Of the amounts appropriated for the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 1997 or subsequent fiscal
years, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make avail-
able to the Commission such amounts as the chairman of
the Commission certifies to the Secretary as necessary for
the Commission to carry out its duties under this Act.
SEC. 10. TERMINATION.
The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the
date of the termination of the temporary demonstration
projects under section 4(c).
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