PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 16, 2019
Department of Veterans Affairs Contract, Leadership, and Ensuring Accountability and Reform Act of 2019 or the VA CLEAR Act of 2019
This bill addresses oversight of financial processes of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and also requires implementation of systems for maintaining specified records.
Among other elements, the bill requires the VA to
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include specified elements in contracts it enters for services (e.g., measurable metrics to ascertain the performance of the provider of the service),
submit a justification and plan for contracts for services that would incur an obligation of more than $2 billion,
contract with a third party to review and audit the VA's financial processes and provide recommendations for improvement, and
submit a justification for requests for supplemental appropriations.
Additionally, the Inspector General of the VA and the Government Accountability Office must complete a review of a contract for services that would result in the VA incurring an obligation of more than $2 billion.
The bill authorizes the Inspector General of the VA, in the performance of the functions assigned to such office, to subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses.
Finally, the bill requires the VA to implement a centralized system to maintain and record completed reviews of administrative investigation boards, and the Veterans Health Administration must implement a centralized system for tracking instances where the VA has referred a clinician to a state's licensing board because of behavior or clinical outcomes.
People & committees
Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · D–MT
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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