,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cefg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #aj1  
#bjbd,mr4 ,brown 7for himself and ,mr4  
,vance7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a  
,,bill  ,to establish within the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs a     
,veterans ,affairs ,history ,office1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans
 ,affairs ,centennial and ,heritage ,act
 of #bjbd4  #b4 ,findings ,congress     
makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,on  
,january #ai1 #bjag1 ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs ,robert ,a4          
,mc,donald signed a ,memorandum of      
,agreement that established goals for   
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
and regional leaders of ,dayton1 ,ohio1 
to advance a history office as a        
community partnership4  7#b7 ,a report  
commissioned by the ,department         
determined that1 a central ,history     

,office1 properly staffed and resourced1
 can become an essential ally for the   
,department's senior staff at           
,headquarters and in the field44  7#c7  
,the establishment of a ,history ,office
 in the ,department pursuant to an      
executive memorandum of the ,department1
 dated ,april #aj1 #bjbj1 is a vital    
contribution to honoring veterans and   
improving the understanding of how they 
served the ,united ,states4  7#d7       
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
,directive #gggg1 titled ,implementation
 of the ,,va ,history ,program1 was     
issued on ,february #i1 #bjba1 and      
established the policies1               
responsibilities1 and management        
directions for the ,department of       
,veterans ,affairs ,history ,program4   
7#e7 ,the centennial year of the        
,department is #bjcj 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 ,department4  #c4      

,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
,history ,office  7a7 ,in general       
,chapter #c of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 is amended by adding at  
the end the following new section3      
#cbe4 ,history ,office  7a7             
,establishment  7#a7 ,in general ,there 
is established within the ,department an
 office comprising a history program and
 a national history center4  7#b7       
,designation ,the office established by 
paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as the    
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
,history ,office 7in this section the   
,office74  7b7 ,purposes ,the purposes  
of the ,office are-- 7#a7 to collect1   
preserve1 and provide access to relevant
 historical records1 artifacts1 and     
cultural resources of the ,department   
7including those of its predecessor     
organizations72 and  7#b7 to tell a     
comprehensive story of the ,department  
and its predecessor organizations to    
veterans1 government agencies1 and the  
public4  7c7 ,chief ,historian and staff

 ,the ,office shall be led by the ,chief
 ,historian of the ,department of       
,veterans ,affairs 7in this section     
referred to as the ,chief ,historian7   
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 7b7 and the requirements set 
forth under subsection 7d74  7d7        
,requirements ,the ,office shall-- 7#a7 
carry out the activities set forth in   
,department ,directive #gggg 7relating  
to implementation of a ,department      
history program71 or successor          
directive2  7#b7 assist with planning   
appropriate history-related events      
leading up to the centennial of the     
,department in #bjcj 7in this section   
referred to as the ,centennial7 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 7b72 
7#c7 carry out public activities and    

educational opportunities1 including    
print and web-based publications and    
exhibits1 that increase awareness of the
 contributions of the ,department in    
supporting veterans2  7#d7 construct1   
renovate1 repair1 operate1 and maintain 
new or existing ,department facilities  
used for-- 7,a7 preservation1           
restoration1 and public access to       
,department historic materials1         
archives1 and artifacts2  7,b7 training 
on the preservation of historic         
materials1 archives1 and artifacts2 or  
7,c7 education relating to the history  
of the ,department and its predecessor  
organizations2  7#e7 maintain facilities
 for access to1 and storage of1 historic
 materials1 artifacts1 and archives1    
compliant with recognized specifications
 for such facilities1 which may include 
storage1 conference1 and public exhibit 
space2 and  7#f7 conduct education and  
training on the preservation of         
historical materials1 archival          
management1 digitization1 restoration1  

historical research1 and related        
subjects to assist the ,department4  7e7
 ,gifts and bequests  7#a7 ,authority to
 accept ,the ,secretary may accept1     
hold1 administer1 and spend any gift1   
devise1 or bequest of real property1    
personal property1 or money made on the 
condition that the gift1 devise1 or     
bequest be used for the benefit1 or in  
connection with1 the purposes and       
activities of the ,office1 including a  
gift1 devise1 or bequest of an          
improvement made pursuant to subsection 
7f77#c74  7#b7 ,disposition of property 
,the ,secretary may authorize the sale  
of donated property received under      
paragraph 7#a74 ,a sale under this      
paragraph need not be conducted in      
accordance with disposal requirements   
that would otherwise apply1 so long as  
the sale is conducted at arms-length and
 includes an auditable transaction      
record4  7#c7 ,use of money and proceeds
 ,any money received under paragraph    
7#a7 and any proceeds from the sale of  

property under paragraph 7#b7 shall be  
deposited into a fund established in the
 ,treasury to support the purposes and  
activities of the ,office4  7f7         
,partnerships1 cooperative agreements1  
and lease authority  7#a7 ,partnerships 
,the ,secretary may enter into a        
partnership or cooperative agreement    
with an organization to support the     
purposes set forth in subsection 7b74   
7#b7 ,lease authority  7,a7 ,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        
,office4  7,b7 ,rent ,any rent received 
by the ,secretary under a lease under   
subparagraph 7,a71 including            
rent-in-kind1 shall be used solely to   
cover or defray the costs of carrying   
out subsection 7b7 or 7d74  7#c7        
,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 viewing1 curation1 and storage of
 artifacts1 research facilities1        
classrooms1 offices1 and associated     
activities consistent with the mission  
of the ,office4  7g7 ,internal          
coordination group  7#a7 ,establishment 
7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj   
days after the date of the enactment of 
the ,veterans ,affairs ,centennial and  
,heritage ,act of #bjbd1 the ,secretary 
shall establish an internal coordinating
 group 7in this subsection the ,group7  
to assist the ,office in carrying out   
the purposes under subsection 7b7 and   
the requirements of subsection 7d7 by   
advising the ,office on matters relating
 to operations of the ,office1 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 7a74  7,b7 ,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 ,group4  7#b7  
,composition ,the ,group shall be       
composed of the following3 7,a7 ,the    
,deputy ,secretary of ,veterans         
,affairs4  7,b7 ,the ,assistant         
,secretary for ,management and ,chief   
,financial ,officer1 or designee4  7,c7 
,the ,chief ,historian4  7,d7 ,a senior 
employee selected by the ,secretary from
 each of the following3 7i7 ,the        
,veterans ,experience ,office4  7ii7    
,the ,office of ,congressional and      
,legislative ,affairs4  7iii7 ,the      
,office of ,acquisition ,logistics and  
,construction4  7iv7 ,the ,office of the
 ,general ,counsel4  7v7 ,the ,veterans 
,health ,administration4  7vi7 ,the     
,veterans ,benefits ,administration4    

7vii7 ,the ,national ,cemetery          
,administration4  7,e7 ,such other      
officers and employees of the           
,department as the ,secretary considers 
appropriate4  7#c7 ,chairperson ,the    
chairperson of the ,group shall be the  
,deputy ,secretary of ,veterans         
,affairs4  7h7 ,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 ,department4   
7i7 ,definition of nonprofit            
organization ,in this section1 the term 
nonprofit organization means an         
organization described in section       
#eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue  
,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation 
under section #eja7;a7 of that ,code4  4
  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of 
sections at the beginning of chapter #c 
of such title is amended by adding at   
the end the following new item3  #cbe4  
,history ,office4  4  #d4 ,reports  7a7 
,long-,range planning ,not later than   

#ahj days after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act1 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 #cbe7;a7
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as
 added by section #c1 leading up to the 
centennial described in subsection      
7d77#b7 of such section #cbe4  7b7      
,contents ,the report submitted pursuant
 to subsection 7a7 shall include plans  
for the following3 7#a7 ,staffing and   
budget4  7#b7 ,organization charts      
pertaining to the current staff and     
location of the ,history ,office within 
the ,department4  7#c7 ,construction and
 renovation of facilities supporting the
 ,history ,office1 including the        
,national ,department of ,veterans      
,affairs ,history ,center4  7#d7 ,public

 activities to mark the centennial      
described in subsection 7a74  7#e7 ,such
 recommendations for legislative or     
administrative action as the ,secretary 
may have with respect to the ,history   
,office and the centennial described in 
subsection 7a74  7c7 ,annual progress   
reports ,not later than one year after  
the date on which the ,secretary submits
 the report required by subsection 7a7  
pursuant to such subsection and not less
 frequently than once each year         
thereafter until ,december #ca1 #bjcj1  
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 ,office4