WASHINGTON, JULY 20, 2006 - Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala), a senior member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, joined the panel in approving two bills today; H.R. 5815, authorizing needed VA construction projects; and H.R. 5835, securing veterans' personal information held by the VA.
"As the number of veterans seeking care increases, we need to ensure that the health facilities are there to meet their health needs," stated Stearns. "I am pleased that H.R. 5815, the VA Medical Facility Authorization Act, authorizes up to $85.2 million for new construction at the VA hospital in Gainesville to enhance the care for its patients. I have long supported the effort to expand and modernize this hospital, and I am pleased to join the Committee in approving this bill."
"Although the breach that affected the personal information of more than 26 million veterans produced no lasting harm, it was a serious warning that we needed to reform the VA's information security regime," stated Rep. Cliff Stearns. "The seven hearings we held as a result of this breach helped us craft this legislation reforming the culture of carelessness at the VA. It is especially satisfying that the work on my data security legislation helped me improve this bill's notification requirement."
The panel approved H.R. 5835, the Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act. This bill requires the prompt reporting of any breaches to both federal authorities and to the veterans whose information may be compromised, sets the VA's responsibilities for reporting the Department's information security standards, and provides for the VA to offer guidance on available credit monitoring services to protect veterans against financial losses associated with data theft.
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