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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6947 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6947
To establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs a Veterans
Affairs History Office, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 10, 2024
Mr. Turner (for himself and Mr. Landsman) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs a Veterans
Affairs History Office, 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 ``Veterans Affairs Centennial and
Heritage Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On January 19, 2017, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Robert A. McDonald signed a Memorandum of Agreement that
established goals for the Department of Veterans Affairs and
regional leaders of Dayton, Ohio, to advance a history office
as a community partnership.
(2) A report commissioned by the Department determined
that, ``a central History Office, properly staffed and
resourced, can become an essential ally for the Department's
senior staff at Headquarters and in the field.''.
(3) The establishment of a History Office in the Department
pursuant to an executive memorandum of the Department, dated
April 10, 2020, is a vital contribution to honoring veterans
and improving the understanding of how they served the United
States.
(4) Department of Veterans Affairs Directive 7777, titled
``Implementation of the VA History Program'', was issued on
February 9, 2021, and established the policies,
responsibilities, and management directions for the Department
of Veterans Affairs History Program.
(5) The centennial year of the Department is 2030 and such
year is a goal for establishing a robust program of ongoing
history outreach activities and permanent public exhibits
telling the story of the Department.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HISTORY OFFICE.
(a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 325. History Office
``(a) Establishment.--
``(1) In general.--There is established within the
Department an office comprising a history program and a
national history center.
``(2) Designation.--The office established by paragraph (1)
shall be known as the `Department of Veterans Affairs History
Office' (in this section the `Office').
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Office are--
``(1) to collect, preserve, and provide access to relevant
historical records, artifacts, and cultural resources of the
Department (including those of its predecessor organizations);
and
``(2) to tell a comprehensive story of the Department and
its predecessor organizations to veterans, government agencies,
and the public.
``(c) Chief Historian and Staff.--The Office shall be led by the
Chief Historian of the Department of Veterans Affairs (in this section
referred to as the `Chief Historian') who may be assisted by such
professional and administrative staff as the Secretary considers
necessary to carry out the purposes of the Office under subsection (b)
and the requirements set forth under subsection (d).
``(d) Requirements.--The Office shall--
``(1) carry out the activities set forth in Department
Directive 7777 (relating to implementation of a Department
history program), or successor directive;
``(2) assist with planning appropriate history-related
events leading up to the centennial of the Department in 2030
(in this section referred to as the `Centennial') and in events
after the Centennial as the Chief Historian considers
appropriate in the context of the purposes of the Office set
forth under subsection (b);
``(3) carry out public activities and educational
opportunities, including print and web-based publications and
exhibits, that increase awareness of the contributions of the
Department in supporting veterans;
``(4) construct, renovate, repair, operate, and maintain
new or existing Department facilities used for--
``(A) preservation, restoration, and public access
to Department historic materials, archives, and
artifacts;
``(B) training on the preservation of historic
materials, archives, and artifacts; or
``(C) education relating to the history of the
Department and its predecessor organizations;
``(5) maintain facilities for access to, and storage of,
historic materials, artifacts, and archives, compliant with
recognized specifications for such facilities, which may
include storage, conference, and public exhibit space; and
``(6) conduct education and training on the preservation of
historical materials, archival management, digitization,
restoration, historical research, and related subjects to
assist the Department.
``(e) Gifts and Bequests.--
``(1) Authority to accept.--The Secretary may accept, hold,
administer, and spend any gift, devise, or bequest of real
property, personal property, or money made on the condition
that the gift, devise, or bequest be used for the benefit, or
in connection with, the purposes and activities of the Office,
including a gift, devise, or bequest of an improvement made
pursuant to subsection (f)(3).
``(2) Disposition of property.--The Secretary may authorize
the sale of donated property received under paragraph (1). A
sale under this paragraph need not be conducted in accordance
with disposal requirements that would otherwise apply, so long
as the sale is conducted at arms-length and includes an
auditable transaction record.
``(3) Use of money and proceeds.--Any money received under
paragraph (1) and any proceeds from the sale of property under
paragraph (2) shall be deposited into a fund established in the
Treasury to support the purposes and activities of the Office.
``(f) Partnerships, Cooperative Agreements, and Lease Authority.--
``(1) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into a
partnership or cooperative agreement with an organization to
support the purposes set forth in subsection (b).
``(2) Lease authority.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may lease portions
of any real property or facility of the Office to a
nonprofit organization for use in generating revenue
for the support of activities of the Office and for
such administrative purposes as may be necessary for
support of the Office.
``(B) Rent.--Any rent received by the Secretary
under a lease under subparagraph (A), including rent-
in-kind, shall be used solely to cover or defray the
costs of carrying out subsection (b) or (d).
``(3) Improvements.--The Secretary may permit a nonprofit
organization to make improvements to real property or a
facility of the Office for the construction of a multipurpose
facility to be used for historical displays for public viewing,
curation, and storage of artifacts, research facilities,
classrooms, offices, and associated activities consistent with
the mission of the Office.
``(g) Internal Coordination Group.--
``(1) Establishment.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of the Veterans Affairs
Centennial and Heritage Act of 2024, the Secretary
shall establish an internal coordinating group (in this
subsection the `Group') to assist the Office in
carrying out the purposes under subsection (b) and the
requirements of subsection (d) by advising the Office
on matters relating to operations of the Office, which
may include advising on matters relating to the
provisions of continuity and resourcing for the
Centennial or for development of the history program or
the history center described in subsection (a).
``(B) Procedures and charter.--The Group shall
operate in accordance with such procedures as the
Secretary may establish and in accordance with a
charter the Secretary shall establish for the Group.
``(2) Composition.--The Group shall be composed of the
following:
``(A) The Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(B) The Assistant Secretary for Management and
Chief Financial Officer, or designee.
``(C) The Chief Historian.
``(D) A senior employee selected by the Secretary
from each of the following:
``(i) The Veterans Experience Office.
``(ii) The Office of Congressional and
Legislative Affairs.
``(iii) The Office of Acquisition Logistics
and Construction.
``(iv) The Office of the General Counsel.
``(v) The Veterans Health Administration.
``(vi) The Veterans Benefits
Administration.
``(vii) The National Cemetery
Administration.
``(E) Such other officers and employees of the
Department as the Secretary considers appropriate.
``(3) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Group shall be
the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(h) Nonconflict.--This section shall not be construed to affect
the authority of the Archivist of the United States for management of
permanent records of the Department.
``(i) Definition of Nonprofit Organization.--In this section, the
term `nonprofit organization means' an organization described in
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from
taxation under section 501(a) of that Code.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following
new item:
``325. History Office.''.
SEC. 4. REPORTS.
(a) Long-Range Planning.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report
on proposed activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs History
Office established pursuant to section 325(a) of title 38, United
States Code, as added by section 3, leading up to the centennial
described in subsection (d)(2) of such section 325.
(b) Contents.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)
shall include plans for the following:
(1) Staffing and budget.
(2) Organization charts pertaining to the current staff and
location of the History Office within the Department.
(3) Construction and renovation of facilities supporting
the History Office, including the National Department of
Veterans Affairs History Center.
(4) Public activities to mark the centennial described in
subsection (a).
(5) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative
action as the Secretary may have with respect to the History
Office and the centennial described in subsection (a).
(c) Annual Progress Reports.--Not later than one year after the
date on which the Secretary submits the report required by subsection
(a) pursuant to such subsection and not less frequently than once each
year thereafter until December 31, 2030, the Chief Historian of the
Department of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the committees described
in such subsection a report on the progress of the History Office.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
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