Title: Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022
This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for eliminating the backlog of requests for records from, and improving the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at, the National Personnel Records Center.
Such plan must include
The office must submit updates of such plan at specified intervals.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4816 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4816

 To require the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a 
  comprehensive plan for reducing the backlog of requests for records 
  from the National Personnel Records Center, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 12, 2022

   Mr. Ossoff (for himself, Mr. Rounds, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Braun) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a 
  comprehensive plan for reducing the backlog of requests for records 
  from the National Personnel Records Center, 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 ``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 congressional committees a comprehensive plan to 
eliminate the backlog of requests for records from the National 
Personnel Records Center and to improve the efficiency and 
responsiveness of operations at the National Personnel Records Center, 
that includes, at a minimum, the following:
            (1) The number and percentage of unresolved veteran record 
        requests that have been pending for more than--
                    (A) 20 days;
                    (B) 90 days; and
                    (C) one year.
            (2) Target timeframes to eliminate the backlog.
            (3) A detailed plan for using existing funds to improve 
        information technology infrastructure, including secure access 
        to appropriate agency Federal records, to prevent future 
        backlogs.
            (4) Actions to improve customer service for requesters.
            (5) Measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan 
        and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals.
            (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 subsection (a), and semiannually 
thereafter until the National Personnel Records Center resolves 90 
percent of all requests for separation documents (other than documents 
subject to fees or involving records damaged or lost in the 1973 fire) 
in 20 days or less, the Archivist of the United States shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an update of such plan that--
            (1) describes progress made by the National Personnel 
        Records Center during the preceding 180-day period with respect 
        to record request backlog reduction and efficiency and 
        responsiveness improvement;
            (2) provides data on progress made toward the goals 
        identified in the comprehensive plan; and
            (3) describes any changes made to the comprehensive 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 congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; 
        and
            (2) the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee 
        on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

    In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is authorized to 
be appropriated to the National Archives and Records Administration, 
$20,000,000 to address backlogs in responding to requests from veterans 
for military personnel records.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL STAFFING.

    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 that enable the 
maximum processing of records requests possible in order to achieve the 
performance goal of responding to 90 percent of all requests for 
separation documents (other than documents subject to fees or involving 
records damaged or lost in the 1973 fire) serviced in 20 days or less.

SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL REPORTING.

    The Inspector General for the National Archives and Records 
Administration shall, for two years following the date of the enactment 
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 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 Personnel Records Center and the 
        status of compliance with those recommendations by the National 
        Archives and Records Administration.
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