119-hr1147

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1147 Referred in Senate

    (RFS) ]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1147

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 20, 2025

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 AN ACT

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Veterans 
 Advisory Committee on Equal Access, 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 Accessibility Advisory 
Committee Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. VETERANS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EQUAL ACCESS.

    (a) Establishment.--Subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``

Sec. 549. Advisory Committee on Equal Access
 ``

    (a) Establishment.--

    (1) The Secretary shall establish an advisory 
committee on matters relating to accessibility of the Department for 
individuals with disabilities.
 ``

    (2) The advisory committee established under paragraph

    (1) shall 
be known as the `Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access' (in this 
section referred to as the `Advisory Committee').
 ``

    (b) Membership.--

    (1) The Advisory Committee shall be composed of 
15 voting members, appointed by the Secretary. In appointing such 
members, the Secretary shall ensure the following:
 ``
        (A) Four are veterans with disabilities, including 
 mobility impairment, hearing, visual, and mental or cognitive 
 disabilities.
 ``
        (B) Four are experts on issues described in subsection

    (f)

    (1)
        (A) or the provisions of law set forth under subsection

    (f)

    (1)
        (B) .
 ``
            (C) Two are employees of the Department, one from the 
 

Section 508 Office and one from the Architectural Accessibility 
 Program, who oversee the compliance of the Department with 
 Federal accessibility laws.
 ``
            (D) Five are representatives nominated by veterans 
 service organizations, recognized under 

section 5902 of this 
 title, that advocate for veterans with physical, sensory, 
 mental, or cognitive disabilities.
 ``

    (2) The Advisory Committee shall also include four ex officio 
members (or their designees):
 ``
        (A) The Under Secretary for Health.
 ``
        (B) The Under Secretary for Benefits.
 ``
            (C) The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.
 ``
            (D) The chairperson of the Architectural and 
 Transportation Barriers Compliance Board established by 

section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112; 29 
 U.S.C. 792).
 ``
            (c) Terms; Vacancies.--

    (1) A member of the Advisory Committee 
shall be appointed for a term of two years. The Secretary may reappoint 
members to the Advisory Committee for such additional two-year terms as 
the Secretary determines appropriate.
 ``

    (2) The Secretary shall fill a vacancy in the Advisory Committee 
in the same manner as the original appointment not later than 180 days 
after such vacancy occurs.
 ``
            (d) Meetings; Subcommittees; Quorum.--

    (1) The Advisory Committee 
shall meet not less frequently than twice each year.
 ``

    (2) The Advisory Committee may form subcommittees, which shall 
meet as often as required.
 ``

    (3) A majority of the members of the Advisory Committee shall 
constitute a quorum.
 ``

    (e) Chairperson.--

    (1) Members of the Advisory Committee shall 
select a Chairperson from among the members of the Advisory Committee.
 ``

    (2) If the position of Chairperson becomes vacant, the members of 
the Advisory Committee shall select a new Chairperson not later than 30 
days after the date on which the position became vacant.
 ``

    (f) Duties.--

    (1) On a regular basis, the Secretary shall consult 
with and seek the advice of the Advisory Committee on the following:
 ``
        (A) Improving the accessibility of the Department for 
 individuals with disabilities, including improving--
 ``
            (i) the accessibility of information of the 
 Department, including electronic information;
 ``
            (ii) the accessibility of the services and 
 benefits furnished by the Department;
 ``
            (iii) the accessibility of the facilities of the 
 Department;
 ``
            (iv) the accessibility of facilities of health 
 care providers furnishing care or services under the 
 Veterans Community Care Program under 

section 1703 of 
 this title; and
 ``
            (v) the acquisition process of the Department to 
 ensure that products and services, including 
 information technology and information and 
 communication technology (as defined in the standards 
 issued by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
 Compliance Board pursuant to 

section 508 of the 
 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112; 29 
 U.S.C. 794d)), are accessible when purchased.
 ``
        (B) Ensuring the compliance of the Department with 
 provisions of law that ensure equal access to Federal 
 facilities, benefits, or services, for individuals with 
 disabilities, including the following:
 ``
            (i) The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
 (Public Law 101-336; 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).
 ``
            (ii) Sections 501, 504, and 508 of the 
 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112; 29 
 U.S.C. 791, 794, and 794d).
 ``
            (iii) The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Public Law 
 111-274; 5 U.S.C. 301 note).
 ``
            (iv) The 21st Century Integrated Digital 
 Experience Act (Public Law 115-336; 44 U.S.C. 3501 
 note).
 ``
            (v) The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 
 (Public Law 90-480; 42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.).
 ``

    (2) In advising to the Secretary, the Advisory Committee shall, 
focusing on the areas of greatest need for the Department--
 ``
        (A) assess the disability access needs of veterans, the 
 public, and Department employees, for full access to the 
 Department's information, services, and benefits, by reviewing 
 relevant information, such as filed complaints by people with 
 disabilities or physical assessments of the Department's 
 facilities;
 ``
        (B) provide assessments of accessibility at the 
 Department and the compliance of the Department with applicable 
 provisions of law relating to disability and accessibility; and
 ``
            (C) provide advice on improving accessibility at the 
 Department, including the accessibility of all--
 ``
            (i) communications, including internal and 
 public-facing;
 ``
            (ii) services and benefits; and
 ``
            (iii) facilities.
 ``

    (3) Reports.--
        (A) Not later than two years after the date of the 
first meeting of the Advisory Committee, and not less frequently than 
once every two years thereafter, the Advisory Committee shall submit to 
the Secretary a report that, focusing on areas of greatest need for the 
Department--
 ``
            (i) identifies and assesses access barriers affecting 
 veterans, the public, and employees of the Department;
 ``
            (ii) determines the extent to which the programs and 
 activities of the Department address the barriers identified in 
 clause
            (i) , including compliance of the Department with 
 provisions of law relating to accessibility law and reporting;
 ``
            (iii) provides recommendations and access priorities to 
 improve the accessibility of the Department's services, 
 benefits, information, technology, and facilities;
 ``
            (iv) provides a description of access improvements and 
 assesses the Department's implementation of recommendations 
 from previous reports of the Advisory Committee, including any 
 unmet recommendations that remain necessary for improving 
 accessibility for the Department; and
 ``
            (v) provides any recommendations for legislation, 
 administrative action, or other actions that the Advisory 
 Committee determines appropriate.
 ``
        (B)
            (i) Not later than 90 days after the receipt of a report 
required under subparagraph
        (A) , the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a copy of such report and any 
comments and recommendations of the Secretary concerning such report 
that the Secretary determines appropriate.
 ``
            (ii) The Secretary shall publish on a publicly accessible website 
of the Department such report and such comments and recommendations as 
may have been submitted along with such report.
 ``
            (iii) In this subparagraph, the term `appropriate congressional 
committee' means--
 ``
            (I) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives;
 ``
            (II) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate;
 ``
            (III) the Committee on Education and Workforce of the 
 House of Representatives; or
 ``
            (IV) the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate.
 ``

    (g) Advisory Committee Personnel and Resource Matters.--

    (1) A 
member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the 
Federal Government shall not be compensated for the performance of the 
duties of the Advisory Committee.
 ``

    (2) A member of the Advisory Committee shall be allowed travel 
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 
authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 
of title 5, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
in the performance of services for the Advisory Committee.
 ``

    (3) The Secretary shall ensure that such personnel, funding, and 
other resources are made available to the Advisory Committee as the 
Secretary determines appropriate to carry out the duties of the 
Advisory Committee.
 ``

    (4) The Secretary shall furnish to the Advisory Committee such 
information as the Advisory Committee may request from the Secretary, 
subject to applicable provisions of law.
 ``

    (h) Termination of Advisory Committee.--The Advisory Committee 
shall terminate on the date that is seven years after the date of the 
enactment of the Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 
2025.''.

    (b) Table of Sections.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding, after the item relating to 

section 548, the following new item:

``549. Advisory Committee on Equal Access.''.
            (c) Implementation; Abolition of Inactive Advisory Committee.--Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
before establishing the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access 
under 

section 549 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
subsection

    (a) , the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--

    (1) abolish an advisory committee of the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs that--
        (A) was not established by an Act of Congress; and
        (B) is inactive;

    (2) consolidate two advisory committees described in 
 paragraph

    (1) ; or

    (3) submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
 Senate and House of Representatives a recommendation to abolish 
 an advisory committee of the Department that--
        (A) was established by an Act of Congress; and
        (B) is inactive.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION ON LIMITATION OF CERTAIN PENSION PAYMENTS TO VETERANS 
 ADMITTED TO NURSING FACILITIES.

 

Section 5503
            (d) (7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting ``January 31, 2032''.

 Passed the House of Representatives May 19, 2025.

 Attest:

 KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

 Clerk.