Sec. 2
Authorized activities in certain congressional offices using Department of Veterans Affairs work-study allowance
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Section 3485 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(a)
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Agreement— Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into an agreement with an FFRDC for an assessment of notices that the Secretary sends to claimants.
(1)
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Assessment— An FFRDC that enters to an agreement under in subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary a written assessment of such notices. The assessment shall include the following:(a)(5)—
(A)
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in subparagraph (K), by inserting “or at the offices of a committee of the Senate or House of Representatives on behalf of such committee” after “such Members”; and
(B)
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The determination of by adding at the FFRDC, made in consultation with covered entities, whether each such notice may be feasibly altered to reduce paper consumption by, and costs to, end the Federal Government.following new subparagraph:
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“(L) Activities supporting casework, policy making, and oversight related to the activities of the Department carried out at the offices of a committee of the Senate or House of Representatives, the office of a Member of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, the Government Accountability Office, or the Congressional Budget Office.”
(2)
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The recommendations of the FFRDC regarding how the Secretary may make such notices clearer to claimants, better organized, and more concise.
(2)
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Report; implementation— Not later than 90 days after the Secretary receives by adding at the assessment under subsection (b), end the Secretary shall—following new subsection:
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“(g) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives an annual report on the number of individuals who received a work-study allowance under this section for qualifying work-study activities performed during the year covered by the report at each of the following:
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“(1) An office of a Member of Congress.
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“(2) A committee of the Senate or House of Representatives.
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“(3) The Congressional Research Service.
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“(4) The Government Accountability Office.
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“(5) The Congressional Budget Office.”
(1)
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submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a copy of such assessment; and
(2)
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implement the recommendations in the assessment that are in compliance with the laws administered by the Secretary.
(d)
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Deadline for implementation— The Secretary shall complete the implementation of such recommendations pursuant to subsection (c)(2) by not later than one year after the date on which the Secretary commences such implementation.
(e)
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Definitions— In this section:
(1)
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The term “FFRDC” means a federally funded research and development center.
(2)
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The term “covered entities” includes—
(A)
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the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(B)
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an expert in laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(C)
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a veterans service organization recognized under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code; and
(D)
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an entity that advocates for veterans.
(3)
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The terms “claimant” and “notice” have the meanings given such terms in section 5100 of title 38, United States Code.