Teacher:In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''VA Acquisition Workforce Improvement
and Streamlining Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO HIRING AND TRAINING OF ACQUISITION PERSONNEL OF
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Training and Certification Programs.--
(1) Programs.--Not later than September 30 of the fiscal
year following the fiscal year during which this Act is
enacted, the Secretary shall implement covered training
curricula and covered certification programs.
(2) Consideration of relevant programs of department of
defense.--In designing and implementing covered training
curricula and covered certification programs under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall use as models existing training
curricula and certification programs that have been established
under chapter 87 of title 10, United States Code, as determined
relevant by the Secretary.
(3) Method of training.--The Secretary may develop the
training curricula under paragraph (1) in a manner that
provides such training in any combination of--
(A) training provided in person;
(B) training provided over an internet website; or
(C) training provided by another department or
agency of the Federal Government.
(4) Levels of certifications.--The Secretary may develop
the certification programs under paragraph (1) in a manner that
uses--
(A) one level of certification; or
(B) more than one level of certification, as
determined appropriate by the Secretary with respect to
the level of certification for different grades of the
General Schedule.
(5) Initial goal.--Not later than September 30 of the
second fiscal year following the fiscal year during which this
Act is enacted, the Secretary shall ensure that the majority of
employees subject to the covered certification programs achieve
the certification or the appropriate level of certification
pursuant to paragraph (4)(B), as the case may be.
(6) Subsequent goal.--After carrying out paragraph (5), the
Secretary shall ensure that each employee subject to the
covered certification programs achieves the certification or
the appropriate level of certification pursuant to paragraph
(4)(B), as the case may be, as quickly as practicable.
(b) Improvements to Hiring of Entry-Level Positions.--
(1) Priority.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
prioritize the use of acquisition internship programs to hire
employees to entry-level positions relating to acquisition in
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Goal.--Not later than September 30 of the fiscal year
following the fiscal year during which this Act is enacted, the
Secretary shall ensure that the annual number of participants
in acquisition internship programs is--
(A) not fewer than twice the number of participants
in such programs during fiscal year 2017; and
(B) not more than four times the number of
participants in such program during such fiscal year.
(3) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out paragraph (2)
until the date on which the Secretary certifies to the
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives
and the Senate that the projected number of graduates of
acquisition internship programs is sufficient to satisfy the
human capital needs of the Department with respect to
acquisition, taking into account the rate of attrition and
projected retirements of personnel.
(c) Transfers.--
(1) Authority.--In addition to any other transfer authority
of the Secretary, the Secretary may transfer or reprogram
amounts identified under section 3 as cost savings in order to
make such amounts available for--
(A) the salaries and travel expenses of
participants in acquisition internship programs;
(B) covered training programs; or
(C) the design and implementation of covered
certification programs.
(2) Authorizations.--A transfer made from one account to
another under the authority of paragraph (1) shall be deemed to
increase the amount authorized for the account to which the
amount is transferred by an amount equal to the amount
transferred.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT TO EFFICIENCY OF ACQUISITION ORGANIZATIONS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Plan.--The Secretary shall develop a plan to reduce duplication
and to increase efficiencies with respect to the acquisition functions
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with an emphasis on procurement
and logistics functions, in a manner that achieves cost savings in an
amount necessary to carry out section 2. The Secretary shall ensure
that such plan--
(1) in all respects and to the greatest extent practicable,
seeks to place procurement employees and logistics employees in
close geographic proximity to the other employees of the
Department for whom the procurement employees and logistics
employees procure supplies or services;
(2) does not place any procurement employee in a formal
reporting or subordinate-supervisor relationship with an
employee of the Department for whom the procurement employee
procures supplies or services; and
(3) may not achieve cost savings through demotions,
furloughs, or liquidations, as defined in part 351 of title 5,
Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) Matters Included.--In developing the plan under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall determine whether to carry out the following
activities:
(1) Consolidate or abolish (and transfer functions to the
procurement or logistics activities of individual facilities of
the Veterans Health Administration, the Network Contracting
Offices of the Veterans Health Administration, the Procurement
and Logistics Office of the Veterans Health Administration, or
the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction of the
Department)--
(A) the Service Area Office East;
(B) the Service Area Office Central;
(C) the Service Area Office West; and
(D) the Program Contacting Activity Central Office.
(2) With respect to the functions of the Procurement and
Logistics Office of the Veterans Health Administration and the
Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction of the
Department, consolidate one or more of the following functions
into one of the respective offices:
(A) Policy making functions.
(B) Contract quality assurance and review
functions.
(C) Real property management functions.
(D) Business operations functions.
(E) Health care acquisition.
(F) Logistics functions.
(c) Submission.--Not later than 180 days after the fiscal year
during which this Act is enacted, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Senate the plan developed under subsection (a).
(d) Implementation.--The Secretary shall commence implementation of
the plan developed under subsection (a) beginning on the date that is
30 days after submitting the plan under subsection (c).

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) The term ''acquisition internship programs'' means
programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
including the Warriors to Workforce Program and the Acquisition
Intern Program, under which the Secretary employs--
(A) a veteran, while the veteran earns an
undergraduate degree and completes foundational
training courses relating to acquisition; or
(B) an individual who completes progressive
training courses relating to acquisition and
participates in rotational work assignments relating to
acquisition.
(2) The term ''covered certification programs'' means--
(A) with respect to logistics employees, a program
to certify knowledge and skills relating to logistics;
and
(B) with respect to employees of the Department who
are members of occupational series relating to
construction or facilities management, or who award or
administer contracts for major construction, minor
construction, or non-recurring maintenance, including
as contract specialists or contracting officers'
representatives, a program to certify knowledge and
skills relating to construction or facilities
management.
(3) The term ''covered training curricula'' means--
(A) with respect to logistics employees, a training
curriculum relating to logistics; and
(B) with respect to employees specified in
paragraph (2)(B), a training curriculum relating to
construction or facilities management.
(4) The term ''logistics'' includes supply chain
management.
(5) The term ''logistics employee'' means an employee of
the Department of Veterans Affairs who is a member of an
occupational series relating to logistics, or who performs
logistics functions within the Office of Acquisition,
Logistics, and Construction of the Department or the Veterans
Health Administration.
(6) The term ''procurement employee'' means an employee of
the Department who is a member of an occupational series
relating to procurement.
Student:
VA Acquisition Workforce Improvement and Streamlining Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement certain training curricula and certification programs for specified logistics, construction, or facilities management employees of VA or the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VA may develop: (1) curricula in a manner that provides such training in person, over a website, or by another federal agency; and (2) certification programs in a manner that uses either one level of certification or more than one level as appropriate for different grades of the General Schedule. The VA shall prioritize the use of acquisition internship programs to hire employees in entry-level, acquisition positions. The VA shall develop a plan to reduce duplication and increase efficiencies of the VA's acquisition functions in a manner that achieves cost savings necessary to carry out such training, certification, and acquisition internship programs. The VA shall determine whether to: (1) consolidate or abolish certain service area and program contacting activity offices and transfer their functions to certain other VA or VHA facilities; and (2) consolidate specified functions of the VA's Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction and the VHA's Procurement and Logistics Office into one such office.