To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3]
- Committees
- Veterans' Affairs Committee (primary)
- Last action
- May 14, 2026
Bottom line
This bill aims to enhance congressional oversight of the VA by formalizing its legislative affairs function and imposing strict accountability and transparency requirements on its engagement with Congress.
What it actually does
This bill establishes a new Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCLA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to serve as the primary liaison with Congress. It outlines the office's functions, creates a specific leadership structure with distinct roles for policy strategy and operational delivery, mandates staffing composition, and imposes strict timelines and prohibitions on the VA's responses to congressional information requests, backed by financial penalties for noncompliance.
Proponents argue
Proponents would argue that this bill significantly enhances congressional oversight of the VA, ensuring timely, complete, and unadulterated information flow, which is crucial for effective governance and accountability to veterans. It professionalizes the VA's legislative outreach, preventing political interference in information delivery and improving overall responsiveness to legislative inquiries.
Opponents contend
Opponents might argue that the bill could create an overly rigid and potentially bureaucratic structure within the VA, hindering agile and effective communication with Congress. The strict timelines and punitive penalties, particularly the suspension of salaries, could be seen as counterproductive and potentially divert resources from core VA services to compliance activities, or even cripple the office's ability to function.
The bill is relatively short and clearly structured, making it accessible for a quick but thorough read to understand its implications.
Section 1(a), new 38 U.S.C. Sec. 326(a)-(b)
Establishment and Core Functions of the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs
This provision formally creates the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCLA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It designates OCLA as the principal liaison between the VA and Congress, outlining its responsibilities to coordinate communications, facilitate hearings, prepare testimony, manage information requests, support legislative analysis, and ensure accurate responses to congressional committees.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this formalizes a critical function, ensuring consistent and professional engagement with Congress, which ultimately benefits veterans through better oversight and legislative support.
Critics contend
No specific opposition is typically raised against the general establishment of a legislative affairs office, though the specific structure and powers might be debated.
Tradeoffs
Balances the need for a dedicated liaison office with potential concerns about bureaucratic expansion.
Section 1(a), new 38 U.S.C. Sec. 326(c)-(d)
Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretaries for Legislative Strategy and Congressional Operations
This provision establishes an Assistant Secretary (Senate-confirmed) to head OCLA, with two Deputy Assistant Secretaries: one for Legislative Strategy (noncareer appointee) responsible for policy positions, and one for Congressional Operations (career appointee in SES) responsible for production and transmission of materials. It explicitly separates policy formulation from operational delivery to prevent political interference in information flow.
Section 1(a), new 38 U.S.C. Sec. 326(e)
Mandated Career Employee Majority in OCLA
This section mandates that at least 65% of OCLA's full-time equivalent positions must be filled by career employees in the competitive service. It also specifies that political appointees can perform policy and strategy functions but cannot replace core operational career roles, aiming to ensure institutional knowledge and reduce political turnover in critical functions.
Section 1(a), new 38 U.S.C. Sec. 326(h)
Strict Timelines and Requirements for Responding to Congressional Requests
This provision establishes stringent deadlines for OCLA to respond to written or electronic information requests from the Committees on Veterans' Affairs. It requires acknowledgment within 2 business days, a production plan within 5 business days, and full production within 45 days (or a partial response by 45 and complete by 60 for complex requests). It explicitly prohibits VA officials from withholding, screening, altering, delaying, or conditioning information, or substituting summaries for original documents.
Section 1(a), new 38 U.S.C. Sec. 326(i)
Penalties for Failure to Comply with Information Request Timelines
This provision outlines severe consequences if the VA Secretary fails to meet the congressional information request timelines. Penalties include written notice to the committee, a corrective action plan, and the suspension of OCLA's salaries and expenses (except for compliance activities) until the VA achieves compliance. It also mandates an Inspector General review to determine the cause of noncompliance, including any senior official's role.
Increases the authorized number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries in the Department of Veterans Affairs from 19 to 21.
Section 1(c)(1), amending 38 U.S.C. 308(d)(1)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice for making conforming amendments to existing statutes when new positions are created elsewhere in the bill. It's a technical adjustment rather than a core policy statement.
Case for: Supporters would argue this is a necessary technical adjustment to accommodate the new leadership positions (the two Deputy Assistant Secretaries for OCLA) created earlier in the bill, ensuring the VA has the statutory authority to staff the office appropriately.
Case against: No specific opposition is typically raised against such technical conforming amendments, as they are necessary to align statutory limits with new organizational structures.
Estimated impact: This change enables the creation of two new senior executive positions within the VA, contributing to the overall administrative structure and potentially increasing personnel costs for those roles.