,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #giej ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #af1 #bjbf,mr4 ,self introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to establish the ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs in the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs in the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs 7a7 ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs ,chapter #c of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #cbf4 ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs4 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established within the ,department an ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs 7referred to in this section as the ,office71 which shall serve as the principal liaison between the ,department and ,congress4 7b7 ,functions ,the ,office shall-- 7#a7 coordinate communications and legislative engagement with ,congress2 7#b7 facilitate hearings1 briefings1 and technical assistance2 7#c7 coordinate the preparation and submission of testimony and witness materials for congressional hearings1 including written statements1 oral testimony1 and responses for the record2 7#d7 manage and track congressional requests for information2 7#e7 support the development and analysis of legislative proposals2 and 7#f7 ensure timely and accurate responses to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate 7in this section1 referred to as the ,committees74 7c7 ,leadership 7#a7 ,there is at the head of the ,office an ,assistant ,secretary appointed by the ,president1 by and with the advice and consent of the ,senate1 who shall ensure that the functions of legislative strategy and congressional operations are exercised independently1 concurrently1 and in mutual restraint1 and who shall be responsible for resolving impasses between the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretaries4 7#b7 ,the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary for ,legislative ,strategy1 a noncareer appointee 7as defined in section #cacb7;a7 of title #e71 shall be responsible for the formulation and articulation of each legislative position and policy communication conveyed to ,congress1 but may not direct or control the timing1 production1 or transmission of congressional materials4 7#c7 ,the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary for ,congressional ,operations1 a career appointee 7as defined in section #cacb7;a7 of title #e7 in the ,senior ,executive ,service1 shall be responsible for coordination1 production1 and transmission of congressional materials1 but may not alter1 delay1 or substitute any legislative position established by the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary for ,legislative ,strategy4 7d7 ,position designations 7#a7 ,the ,assistant ,secretary1 the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary for ,legislative ,strategy1 and any supervisory policy official1 who shall be accountable for the substance1 consistency1 and attribution of each legislative position communicated to ,congress1 shall be a noncareer appointee 7as defined in section #cacb7;a7 of title #e74 7#b7 ,any analyst1 liaison1 records manager1 member of production staff1 technical specialist1 and administrative support personnel shall be a career employee in the competitive service4 7e7 ,staffing composition 7#a7 ,not fewer than #fe percent of the employees occupying full-time equivalent positions of the ,office shall be career employees in the competitive service4 7#b7 ,a political appointee may perform policy and strategy functions but shall not replace a core operational career role4 7#c7 ,in this subsection1 political appointee means an individual who is-- 7,a7 a noncareer appointee in the ,senior ,executive ,service1 as defined under section #cacb7;a7 of title #e2 or 7,b7 employed in a position of a confidential or policy-determining character under schedule ,c of subpart ,c of part #bac of title #e1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 or successor regulation4 7f7 ,procedures ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall maintain procedures for the following3 7#a7 ,ensuring prompt acknowledgment of congressional requests1 coordinated and complete responses1 availability of subject-matter experts for briefings1 and internal tracking of outstanding inquiries4 7#b7 ,documenting the source of each legislative position and the timing of each congressional production1 such that responsibility for substance and responsibility for timeliness are separately identifiable4 7g7 ,supervision ,the ,office shall operate under the supervision of the ,assistant ,secretary4 ,in supervising the ,office1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall receive parallel reports from each ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary concerning the performance of the ,office1 including instances in which action or inaction of the other ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary affected accuracy1 consistency1 or timeliness of engagement with ,congress4 7h7 ,congressional information access and timelines 7#a7 ,upon receipt of a written or electronic request for information from the ,committees1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 send to the requesting committee an acknowledgment of the request not later than two business days after receipt of such request2 7,b7 provide to the requesting committee a production plan and estimated date of the delivery of the requested material not later than five business days after receipt of such request2 and 7,c7 produce all requested records and materials not later than #de days after receipt4 7#b7 ,if the ,secretary certifies that the scope or complexity of the request prevents full production not later than #cj days after the receipt of such request1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 provide a partial response to the request not later than #de days after receipt2 and 7,b7 produce a complete response to the request not later than #fj days after receipt4 7#c7 ,information shall be provided in the form requested by the ,committees1 including underlying records1 datasets1 methodologies1 contracts1 and communications1 and may not be limited to summaries or briefing materials in lieu of original source documents unless authorized by the requesting committee4 7#d7 ,no official or employee of the ,department may-- 7,a7 withhold1 screen1 or alter responsive information2 7,b7 delay or condition production on initial clearance or political review2 7,c7 require a nondisclosure agreement unless required by law2 7,d7 substitute summaries for requested records2 or 7,e7 otherwise impede or interfere with direct transmission of information to the ,committees4 7#e7 ,if the ,secretary determines that any information requested by ,congress is classified1 the ,secretary shall make arrangements to present such information to the ,chair of the requesting committee using appropriate security measures4 7i7 ,noncompliance ,if the ,secretary fails to comply with the required timeline for response to a congressional request under subsection 7h7-- 7#a7 the ,secretary shall provide written notice to the requesting committee explaining the delay and identifying corrective actions2 7#b7 the ,secretary shall submit to the requesting committee a corrective action plan1 including specific deadlines for compliance and designated2 7#c7 amounts available for the salaries and expenses of the ,office may not be obligated or expended during the period beginning on the day on which the ,secretary is not in substantial compliance with subsection 7h7 and ending on the day on which the ,secretary enters into compliance1 except for activities necessary to achieve compliance2 and 7#d7 the ,inspector ,general of the ,department shall conduct a review to determine the cause of such noncompliance1 including whether any action or inaction by a senior ,department official contributed to the noncompliance1 and submit a report to the ,committees not later than #fj days after notification by the ,secretary under paragraph 7#a74 4 7b7 ,report ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to the ,committees a report evaluating the implementation of this section4 7c7 ,clerical amendments 7#a7 ,number of ,deputy ,assistant ,secretaries ,section #cjh7;d77#a7 of such title is amended by striking #ai and inserting #ba4 7#b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 #cbf4 ,office of ,congressional and ,legislative ,affairs 4