Veterans’ Affairs Committee considers legislation to protect veterans from data theft, authorizes new VA medical centers, promotes 'Hire a Veteran' week

Washington, D.C.— After two months of hearings on the data theft of sensitive information from the nation’s 26.5 million veterans, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs considered H.R. 5835, the Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006. At a markup today, the committee reported favorably H.R. 5835, as well as several other pieces of legislation, including H.R. 5815, as amended, the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Authorization Act.

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) in a news conference in Washington, D.C., indicates the proposed location of a new VA medical center which was authorized today in a hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

H.R. 5835 allows remediation of identity theft for a veteran or other individuals whose personal information is compromised by VA. This includes credit protection services and fraud resolution services upon the request of the individual.

"Congress has acted to protect our veterans. This legislation works to correct the mismanagement that led to the data theft in May. These changes will provide VA a definite course of action to follow should a data breach occur in the future,” Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) said.

The legislation also creates a new under secretary of information services, who will also bear the responsibilities as VA’s chief information officer (CIO). Three new deputy under secretaries for security, operations and management, and policy and planning would report to the new under secretary.

“The creation of the under secretary position, who will have its responsibilities defined under the Federal Information Security Management Act, leads to a more straightforward and streamlined chain of command. This in turn will work to ensure that definitive guidelines are created and followed in all areas of VA information technology, from security of personal information to a seamless transition of which I’ve previously spoken,” Buyer added.

“I am pleased today that the committee has approved a strong, bipartisan bill that I believe will respond effectively to the cavalier manner in which veterans’ information has been secured, accessed, downloaded and passed around, especially in the recent past,” the committee’s acting ranking member, Bob Filner (D-Calif.), said. “While we cannot fully change the culture of an organization through mandate, we can affect that culture, instill more responsive policies and, hopefully, engender better management.”

The bill includes a provision creating a scholarship program for up to five scholarships each year to recruit people who will pursue a doctoral degree in information security, computer engineering or electrical engineering at an accredited institution of higher learning. Recipients would be required to agree to work at the department for not less than two years for every year of tuition paid, or funds must be repaid.

Testifying to the bipartisanship evident in this legislation, Larry Madison, deputy legislative director of The Retired Enlisted Association, said during the July 18 legislative hearing on the bill, “I want to thank Chairman Buyer and all the members of the committee for the collective, non-partisan way in which you have sought to handle this crisis. It was sincerely gratifying to watch the committee work together in seeking to learn the details of the situation and then coming up with the legislation we are discussing today which will, hopefully, result in greatly increased security for the personal data of millions of veterans that is kept by the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

The committee also considered and reported favorably, H.R. 5815, as amended, the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2006. The bill would authorize the VA secretary to conduct major reconstruction of the VA medical center (VAMC) in Biloxi, Miss., and consolidate those services formerly performed at the VAMC in Gulfport, Miss., which was lost in Hurricane Katrina.

H.R. 5815, as amended, would also authorize advance planning of two co-located, joint-use major medical facility projects, with the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and with Louisiana State University in New Orleans. Further, the bill would further allow full funding of two new VAMCs in Las Vegas, Nev., and Orlando, Fla., as well as renovation of VAMCs in Indianapolis, Ind., Long Beach, Calif., and Gainesville, Fla., and other cities nationwide.

In other action, the committee unanimously approved House Concurrent Resolution 125, which expresses support for the designation and goals of “Hire a Veteran Week” and encourages the president to issue a presidential proclamation in support of the event.

“Future American economic competitiveness depends on a strong workforce which these returning veterans can do much to strengthen,” Buyer said.

The committee also unanimously approved House Concurrent Resolution 345, which honors the National Association of State Veterans Homes. The bill would recognize those who work in state veterans homes across the nation, commending their contributions to the care of elderly and disabled veterans. It also acknowledges the partnership between VA and the states and affirms the support of Congress in the continuation of this program.

With the addition of new committee members, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), the committee approved unanimously a change in the ratio of majority to minority members for the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, from 4:3 to 5:4 respectively.

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