Title: Department of Veterans Affairs Information Technology Reform Act of 2021
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Department of Veterans Affairs Information Technology Reform Act of 2021
This bill addresses the management and implementation of information technology projects and investments of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Specifically, the bill prohibits the VA from obligating or expending funds for any major information technology project that begins after the date of enactment of this bill unless a report is submitted that includes information on the cost, schedule, and performance of the project. The information in the report must be used as a baseline against which changes or variances are measured and reported on during the life cycle of the project. Projects must be managed by an interdisciplinary team that includes a certified project manager, a functional lead, a technical lead, a contracting officer, and other appropriate personnel.
The VA's Chief Information Officer must (1) exercise authority over the management, governance, and oversight processes relating to information technology of the VA's Financial Services Center; and (2) supervise the information technology employees and contractors of the center.
Finally, the VA must assess all of its information technology investments to determine the suitability for migration to a cloud computing service.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2250 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2250

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the management of 
 information technology projects and investments of the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2021

 Mr. Rosendale (for himself, Mr. Mrvan, and Mr. Banks) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the management of 
 information technology projects and investments of the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Information Technology Reform Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF MAJOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 81 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subchapter:

    ``SUBCHAPTER VI--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

``Sec. 8171. Definitions
    ``In this subchapter:
            ``(1) The term `appropriate congressional committees' 
        means--
                    ``(A) the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                House of Representatives and the Senate; and
                    ``(B) the Subcommittees on Military Construction, 
                Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies of the House of 
                Representatives and the Senate.
            ``(2) The term `information technology' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 11101 of title 40.
            ``(3) The term `life cycle costs' means all direct and 
        indirect costs to acquire, implement, operate, and maintain an 
        information technology system.
            ``(4) The term `major information technology project' means 
        a project or program of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        (including a project or program of any element of the 
        Department) for, or including, the acquisition or 
        implementation of an information technology system if--
                    ``(A) the project or program is designated--
                            ``(i) by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                        or the Chief Information Officer of the 
                        Department as a major information technology 
                        project; or
                            ``(ii) by the Director of the Office of 
                        Management and Budget as a major information 
                        technology investment, as defined in section 
                        11302 of title 40;
                    ``(B) the dollar value of the project or program is 
                estimated by the Secretary to exceed--
                            ``(i) $50,000,000 (as adjusted for 
                        inflation pursuant to section 1908 of title 41) 
                        for all project or program costs in a single 
                        fiscal year;
                            ``(ii) $200,000,000 (as adjusted for 
                        inflation pursuant to section 1908 of title 41) 
                        for all project acquisition or implementation 
                        costs for the duration of the project or 
                        program; or
                            ``(iii) $500,000,000 (as adjusted for 
                        inflation pursuant to section 1908 of title 41) 
                        for the total life cycle costs of the project 
                        or program; or
                    ``(C) any increment of the project or program 
                separately meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A) 
                or (B).
``Sec. 8172. Management of major information technology projects
    ``(a) Cost, Schedule, and Performance Information.--The Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs may not obligate or expend funds for any major 
information technology project that begins after the date of the 
enactment of this section unless the Secretary, acting through the 
Chief Information Officer, submits to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report containing information on the cost, schedule, and 
performance of such project. Each such report shall include, with 
respect to such project, the following:
            ``(1) An estimate of acquisition, implementation, and life 
        cycle costs.
            ``(2) An intended implementation schedule indicating 
        significant milestones, initial operating capability, and full 
        operating capability or completion.
            ``(3) Key business, functional, or performance objectives.
    ``(b) Baseline.--(1) The Secretary shall use the information on the 
cost, schedule, and performance of a major information technology 
project included in the report under subsection (a) as the baseline 
against which changes or variances are measured during the life cycle 
of such project.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall--
            ``(A) annually update the baseline of a major information 
        technology project pursuant to subsection (c); and
            ``(B) include such updated baseline in the documents 
        providing detailed information on the budget for the Department 
        that the Secretary submits to Congress in conjunction with the 
        President's budget submission pursuant to section 1105 of title 
        31.
    ``(c) Changes and Variances.--(1) Not later than 60 days after the 
date on which the Secretary identifies a change or variance described 
in paragraph (2) in the cost, schedule, or performance of a major 
information technology project, the Secretary, acting through the Chief 
Information Officer, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a notification of such change or variance, including a 
description and explanation for such change or variance.
    ``(2) A change or variance in the cost, schedule, or performance of 
a major information technology project described in this paragraph is--
            ``(A) with respect to the acquisition, implementation, or 
        life cycle cost of the project, or an increment therein, a 
        change or variance that is 10 percent or greater compared to 
        the baseline;
            ``(B) with respect to the schedule for achieving a 
        significant milestone, initial operating capability, or final 
        completion of the project, a change or variance that is 180 
        days or greater compared to the baseline; or
            ``(C) with respect to the performance, an instance where a 
        key business, functional, or performance objective is not 
        attained, or is not anticipated to be attained, in whole or in 
        part.
    ``(d) Management.--The Secretary shall ensure that each major 
information technology project is managed by an interdisciplinary team 
including the following:
            ``(1) A project manager who is--
                    ``(A) certified in project management at level 
                three by the Department or the Department of Defense 
                pursuant to section 1701a of title 10, or who holds an 
                equivalent certification by a private sector project 
                management certification organization, as determined 
                appropriate by the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) an employee of the Office of Information and 
                Technology of the Department or an employee of an 
                element of the Department at which the project 
                originates.
            ``(2) A functional lead who is an employee of the element 
        of the Department at which the project originates.
            ``(3) A technical lead who is an employee of the Office of 
        Information and Technology of the Department.
            ``(4) A contracting officer.
            ``(5) Sufficient other project management, functional, 
        technical, and procurement personnel as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
``Sec. 8173. Information technology activities of the Financial 
              Services Center
    ``(a) Management.--Consistent with sections 11302 and 11319 of 
title 40--
            ``(1) the Chief Information Officer of the Department 
        shall--
                    ``(A) exercise authority over the management, 
                governance, and oversight processes relating to 
                information technology of the Financial Services Center 
                of the Department, or such successor office; and
                    ``(B) supervise the information technology 
                employees and contractors of the Financial Services 
                Center; and
            ``(2) the Director of the Financial Services Center of the 
        Department, or the head of such successor office, may not enter 
        into a contract or other agreement for information technology 
        or information technology services unless the contract or other 
        agreement has been reviewed and approved by the Chief 
        Information Officer.
    ``(b) Oversight.--The Chief Information Officer shall have 
oversight and operational authority over all information security 
practices of the Financial Services Center of the Department.
``Sec. 8174. Submission of annual reviews of information technology
    ``The Secretary, acting through the Chief Information Officer, 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees each annual 
review of the information technology portfolio of the Department 
conducted pursuant to section 11319(d)(3) of title 40. The first such 
annual review so submitted shall include a copy of each previous annual 
review conducted under such section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``subchapter vi--information technology projects and activities

``8171. Definitions.
``8172. Management of major information technology projects.
``8173. Information technology activities of the Financial Services 
                            Center.
``8174. Submission of annual reviews of information technology.''.
    (c) Application; Report.--
            (1) Current and new projects.--Except as specifically 
        provided in subsection (a) of section 8172 of title 38, United 
        States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, such 
        section 8172 shall apply with respect to major information 
        technology projects that begin before, on, or after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Report on current projects.--
                    (A) Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
                Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate 
                congressional committees a report on each major 
                information technology project that the Secretary is 
                carrying out as of the date of the report. The report 
                shall contain, with respect to each such project, 
                information on the cost, schedule, and performance of 
                such project as described in subsection (a) of such 
                section 8172.
                    (B) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms 
                ``appropriate congressional committees'' and ``major 
                information technology project'' have the meanings 
                given those terms in section 8171 of title 38, United 
                States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this 
                section.

SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT OF SUITABILITY OF CLOUD MIGRATION INVESTMENTS.

    (a) Assessment.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting 
through the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, shall conduct an assessment, in accordance with guidance from 
the Office of Management and Budget, of all information technology 
investments of the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine the 
suitability of the investments for migration to a cloud computing 
service.
    (b) Consistent Mechanism.--The Secretary, acting through the Chief 
Information Officer, shall establish a consistent and repeatable 
mechanism to track savings and cost avoidances from the--
            (1) migration of information technology investments to 
        cloud computing services; and
            (2) deployment of cloud computing services.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DASHBOARD INFORMATION.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief Information 
Officer, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report containing--
            (1) an explanation of the ratings, rankings, and risk 
        categorizations used by the Chief Information Officer pursuant 
        to subparagraph (C) of section 11302(c)(3) of title 40, United 
        States Code, with respect to the information technology 
        dashboard of the Office of Management and Budget developed 
        under such section; and
            (2) copies of supporting or explanatory information 
        provided by the Chief Information Officer to the Office of 
        Management and Budget with respect to submissions by the Chief 
        Information Officer to the information technology dashboard for 
        the fiscal year in which the report is submitted (other than 
        information not otherwise made public pursuant to such 
        section).
    (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In section, the 
term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate; and
            (2) the Subcommittees on Military Construction, Veterans 
        Affairs and Related Agencies of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate.
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