Reported in House

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7683 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>





                                                 Union Calendar No. 739
119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7683

                          [Report No. 119-842]

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify and expand the 
 authority of the Assistant Secretary for Management of the Department 
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2026

 Mr. Bergman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

                            October 9, 2026

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
    [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on 
                           February 25, 2026]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify and expand the 
 authority of the Assistant Secretary for Management of the Department 
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


 


    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Fiscal Management Modernization 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS: CHANGE IN TITLE; CLARIFICATION AND 
              EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY.

    (a) Change in Title.--Section 308 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended, in subsection (a)(3)(A), by striking ``Assistant Secretary 
for Management'' and inserting ``Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Budget''.
    (b) Increase to Number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries.--Such 
section is further amended, in subsection (d)(1), by striking ``19'' 
and inserting ``21''.
    (c) Duties and Office.--Section 309 of such title is amended to 
read as follows (and the table of sections at the beginning of chapter 
3 of such title is amended accordingly):
``Sec. 309. Chief Financial Officer; Office of Planning and Budget
    ``(a) Designation.--The Secretary shall designate the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Budget, whose functions include budgetary 
and financial functions, as the Chief Financial Officer of the 
Department.
    ``(b) Duties.--The duties of the Chief Financial Officer include 
the following:
            ``(1) To advise the Secretary on financial management of 
        the Department.
            ``(2) To formulate, justify, and execute the budget of the 
        Department.
            ``(3) To control, account for, audit, and report on the 
        finances of the Department.
            ``(4) To manage the life cycle of major acquisition 
        programs of the Department.
            ``(5) To exercise the authority and carry out the functions 
        specified in section 902 of title 31.
            ``(6) To ensure compliance with sections 1341, 1342, 1349, 
        1350, and 1511 through 1519 of title 31 (commonly referred to 
        as `the Antideficiency Act').
            ``(7) To provide to Congress (or a congressional 
        committee), upon request, information regarding the budget and 
        finances of the Department.
            ``(8) To serve as the head of the Office of Planning and 
        Budget of the Department.
    ``(c) Deputy Assistant Secretaries.--(1) There is in the Department 
a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Budget.
    ``(2) There is in the Department a Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Planning and Budget for Financial Operations and Internal Controls. 
Such Deputy Assistant Secretary shall be a career appointee (as that 
term is defined in section 3132(a) of title 5) within the Senior 
Executive Service of the Department.
    ``(d) Office of Planning and Budget.--There is in the Department an 
Office of Planning and Budget.
    ``(e) Legislative and Congressional Budget Information Office.--(1) 
There is within the Office of Planning and Budget a Legislative and 
Congressional Budget Information Office (in this section referred to as 
the `LCBI Office'). The Chief Financial Officer shall appoint a head of 
the LCBI Office who shall report exclusively to the Chief Financial 
Officer.
    ``(2) The sole function of the LCBI Office is to provide to 
Congress (or a congressional committee), accurate, timely, and 
certified information regarding the finances and budget of the 
Department.
    ``(3) Congress or a congressional committee may submit a request 
for information described in paragraph (2) directly to the LCBI Office.
    ``(4) Paragraphs (2) and (3) notwithstanding, the Assistant 
Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs shall respond to a 
request described in paragraph (3) submitted to the Office of 
Congressional and Legislative Affairs.
    ``(5) Not more than six full-time equivalent employees, including 
supervisors, may be assigned to the LCBI Office.
    ``(f) Sunset.--On the day that is five years after the date of the 
enactment of the VA Fiscal Management Modernization Act, the following 
shall terminate:
            ``(1) The designation of the Chief Financial Officer under 
        subsection (a).
            ``(2) The duties of the Chief Financial Officer under 
        subsection (b).
            ``(3) The positions of the Deputy Assistant Secretaries for 
        Planning and Budget under subsection (c).
            ``(4) The Office of Planning and Budget under subsection 
        (d).
            ``(5) The LCBI Office under subsection (e).''.
    (d) Financial Employees.--Subchapter I of chapter 7 of such title 
is amended by inserting after section 728 the following new section 
(and the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
accordingly):
``Sec. 729. Employees with certain financial authority: management; 
              limitation on authority to appoint
    ``(a) Management.--(1) An employee described in paragraph (2) shall 
report exclusively to the Chief Financial Officer of the Department 
designated under section 309 of this title.
    ``(2) An employee described in this paragraph is an employee of the 
Department--
            ``(A) whose position is that of chief financial officer of 
        an Administration of the Department or a Veterans Integrated 
        Service Network; or
            ``(B) whose duties are substantially similar to a position 
        described in subparagraph (A).
    ``(3) An employee described in paragraph (2) may not perform a 
programmatic or operational function in the Department.
    ``(b) Limitation on Authority To Appoint.--The Secretary may not 
establish a employee position--
            ``(1) that performs a function substantially similar to the 
        function of the Legislative and Congressional Budget 
        Information Office of the Department established under section 
        309(d) of this title; and
            ``(2) that is not within the Legislative and Congressional 
        Budget Information Office.
    ``(c) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the day that is five 
years after the date of the enactment of the VA Fiscal Management 
Modernization Act.''.
    (e) Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out the amendments made by this section not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.

    Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``January 31, 2033'' and inserting ``December 31, 2033''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 739

119th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 7683

                          [Report No. 119-842]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify and expand the 
 authority of the Assistant Secretary for Management of the Department 
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            October 9, 2026

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed