H.R. 7176

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7176 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7176

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to establish a secure database and messaging platform 
to enable veterans to reconnect with other veterans with whom they 
served, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 21, 2026

Mr. Edwards (for himself and Ms. Budzinski) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to establish a secure database and messaging platform 
to enable veterans to reconnect with other veterans with whom they 
served, 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 ``Vets Connect Act''.

SEC. 2. VETS CONNECT SECURE DATABASE AND MESSAGING PLATFORM.

(a) Establishment of Secure Database and Messaging Platform.--The 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish and maintain a secure, 
privacy-preserving database and messaging platform (in this section 
referred to as the ``Vets Connect System'') for the purpose of enabling 
veterans to reconnect with other veterans with whom they served, 
without disclosing personal contact information such as phone numbers, 
email addresses, physical addresses, or social media identifiers unless 
expressly authorized by the veteran.
(b) Content of System.--The Secretary shall ensure that the Vets 
Connect System includes only the minimum information necessary to 
facilitate service-based matching between veterans, including--
(1) service-connection information, such as branch of 
service, units, dates of service, deployments, occupational 
specialty, and rank;
(2) a display name selected by the veteran, which need not 
contain the veteran's legal name; and
(3) any additional information the veteran elects to 
include for visibility within the System by taking an 
affirmative, documented opt-in action executed within the 
System.
(c) Use Within Department.--Information contained in the Vets 
Connect System may not be used by the Department for any purpose other 
than operating, securing, and overseeing the System.
(d) Access Limited to Verified Veterans.--Except for access 
required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall ensure that--
(1) access to the Vets Connect System is limited to 
individuals whose military service has been verified by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense; 
and
(2) no individual whose service has not been verified may 
gain access.
(e) Information About Veterans Only if They Opt in.--The Secretary 
shall ensure that--
(1) no veteran appears in search results or is discoverable 
by other users unless the veteran has affirmatively opted in to 
participation in the System; and
(2) no veteran's personal contact information is stored in, 
displayed through, or retrievable from the Vets Connect System, 
or disclosed through the messaging platform within the System, 
except to the extent the veteran takes an affirmative, 
documented opt-in action executed within the System.
(f) Options to Opt-Out.--The Secretary shall ensure that a veteran 
may at any time--
(1) change their visibility settings;
(2) restrict communications from some or all other users;
(3) opt out of participation in the System; or
(4) delete any information the veteran has contributed to 
the System.
(g) Prohibition on Commercial Solicitation and Data Brokerage.--
(1) In general.--No veteran or other person or entity may 
use information contained in or derived from the Vets Connect 
System for--
(A) solicitation of legal, financial, or claims-
related services;
(B) advertising, marketing, or commercial outreach; 
or
(C) any data-brokerage activity, including the 
sale, transfer, licensing, or aggregation of user 
information.
(2) Contractors, subcontractors, and third parties.--No 
contractor, subcontractor, or third party may use System data 
for any purpose other than performing duties under a contract 
with the Department.
(h) Security, Audit Logs, and Oversight.--
(1) Security.--The Secretary shall implement industry-
standard cybersecurity protections, including encryption, 
access controls, and monitoring, to prevent unauthorized 
access, scraping, mass-messaging, or harvesting of veteran data 
in the System.
(2) Audit logs.--The Secretary shall maintain system-level 
audit logs documenting all access, queries, administrative 
actions, and communications metadata (but not message content) 
for the purpose of oversight.
(3) Oversight.--The Inspector General of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs shall have access to such audit logs and may 
conduct periodic reviews of compliance, security controls, and 
misuse prevention.
(i) Penalties for Misuse.--Any individual who knowingly accesses, 
attempts to access, or uses information in the Vets Connect System for 
a prohibited purpose or otherwise violates this section shall be 
subject to such penalties as the Secretary may prescribe by regulation 
and any other penalties available under law, including section 5701 of 
title 38, United States Code, if applicable.
(j) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to authorize the disclosure of any record protected under 
section 5701 of title 38, United States Code, or any other privacy or 
security law applicable to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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