H.R. 8946

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8946 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8946

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Affairs History Office, and 
for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 20, 2026

Mr. Turner of Ohio (for himself and Mr. Landsman) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Affairs History Office, 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 ``Veterans Affairs Heritage Act of 
2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On January 19, 2017, Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
Robert A. McDonald signed a Memorandum of Agreement that 
established goals for the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
regional leaders of Dayton, Ohio, to advance a history office 
as a community partnership.
(2) A report commissioned by the Department determined 
that, ``a central History Office, properly staffed and 
resourced, can become an essential ally for the Department's 
senior staff at Headquarters and in the field.''.
(3) The establishment of a History Office in the Department 
pursuant to an executive memorandum of the Department, dated 
April 10, 2020, is a vital contribution to honoring veterans 
and improving the understanding of how they served the United 
States.
(4) Department of Veterans Affairs Directive 7777, titled 
``Implementation of the VA History Program'', was issued on 
February 9, 2021, and established the policies, 
responsibilities, and management directions for the Department 
of Veterans Affairs History Program.
(5) The centennial year of the Department is 2030 and such 
year is a goal for establishing a robust program of ongoing 
history outreach activities and permanent public exhibits 
telling the story of the Department.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HISTORY OFFICE.

(a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 325. History Office
``(a) Establishment.--
``(1) In general.--There is established within the 
Department an office comprising a history program and a 
national history center.
``(2) Designation.--The office established under paragraph 
(1) shall be known as the `Department of Veterans Affairs 
History Office' (in this section referred to as the `Office').
``(3) Location.--
``(A) In general.--The Office shall be located in 
Dayton, Ohio, at a facility of the Department that the 
Secretary determines appropriate.
``(B) Sunset.--The requirement under subparagraph 
(A) shall terminate on the date that is eight years 
after the date of the enactment of this section.
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Office shall be--
``(1) to collect, preserve, and provide access to relevant 
historical records, artifacts, and cultural resources of the 
Department (and any predecessor organization); and
``(2) to tell a comprehensive story of the Department (and 
any predecessor organization) to veterans, government agencies, 
and the public.
``(c) Office Composition.--
``(1) Chief historian.--The head of the Office shall be the 
Chief Historian of the Department (in this section referred to 
as the `Chief Historian'), who shall report directly to the 
Secretary.
``(2) Administrative staff.--The Office may be comprised of 
such other professional and administrative staff as the 
Secretary determines necessary for the Office to fulfill the 
responsibilities described in subsection (d), consistent with 
the purposes specified in subsection (b).
``(d) Responsibilities.--The Office shall be responsible for--
``(1) carrying out--
``(A) the activities set forth in VA Directive 
7777, relating to implementation of a Department 
history program, and dated February 9, 2021, or any 
successor directive; and
``(B) public activities and educational 
opportunities, including print and web-based 
publications and exhibits, and virtual augmented 
reality technologies that increase awareness of the 
contributions of the Department in supporting veterans;
``(2) constructing, renovating, repairing, operating, and 
maintaining new or existing Department facilities used for--
``(A) preservation, restoration, and public access 
to Department historic materials, archives, and 
artifacts;
``(B) training with respect to the preservation of 
historic materials, archives, and artifacts; or
``(C) education relating to the history of the 
Department and its predecessor organizations;
``(3) maintaining facilities for access to, and storage of, 
historic materials, artifacts, and archives, compliant with 
recognized specifications for such facilities, including--
``(A) storage facilities;
``(B) conference facilities; and
``(C) public exhibit space; and
``(4) conducting education and training on the preservation 
of historical materials, archival management, digitization, 
restoration, historical research, and related subjects to 
assist the Department.
``(e) Internal Coordination Group.--
``(1) Establishment.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall--
``(i) establish an internal coordination 
group (in this subsection the `Group') to 
assist the Office in fulfilling the 
responsibilities described in subsection (d), 
consistent with the purposes specified in 
subsection (b); and
``(ii) issue, in regulations, a charter 
that includes requirements for the 
administration and operation of the Group.
``(B) Responsibilities.--The Group shall be 
responsible for advising the Office on matters relating 
to operations of the Office, including such matters 
relating to the provisions of continuity and resourcing 
for the development of the history program or the 
national history center described in subsection (a).
``(C) Operation.--The Group shall operate in 
accordance with--
``(i) the charter issued pursuant to 
subparagraph (A); and
``(ii) such other procedures relating to 
the administration and operation of the Group 
as the Secretary determines appropriate.
``(2) Group members.--The Group shall be comprised of the 
following:
``(A) The Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(B) The Assistant Secretary for Management and 
Chief Financial Officer, or designee.
``(C) The Chief Historian.
``(D) A senior employee selected by the Secretary 
from each of the following:
``(i) The Veterans Experience Office.
``(ii) The Office of Congressional and 
Legislative Affairs.
``(iii) The Office of Acquisition Logistics 
and Construction.
``(iv) The Office of the General Counsel.
``(v) The Veterans Health Administration.
``(vi) The Veterans Benefits 
Administration.
``(vii) The National Cemetery 
Administration.
``(E) Such other officers and employees of the 
Department as the Secretary considers appropriate.
``(3) Chair.--The chair of the Group shall be the Deputy 
Secretary.
``(f) Transfer of Certain Functions.--
``(1) Veterans legacy program; veterans legacy memorial.--
The functions relating to the administration of the Veterans 
Legacy Program and the Veterans Legacy Memorial which, on the 
day before the date of the enactment of this section, were 
performed by the National Cemetery Administration, are hereby 
transferred to the Office. Any efforts with respect to the 
administration of the Veterans Legacy Program and the Veterans 
Legacy Memorial beginning on or after such date shall be 
carried out by the Office.
``(2) Veterans' history project.--The functions relating to 
the administration of the oral history program required under 
section 3 of the Veterans' Oral History Project Act (Public Law 
106-380; 20 U.S.C. 2142) which, on the day before the date of 
the enactment of this Act, were performed by the Director of 
the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, are 
hereby transferred to the Office. Any efforts with respect to 
the administration of the such oral history program beginning 
on or after such date shall be carried out by the Office.
``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection may 
be construed to require functions relating to the 
administration of the National Archives Veterans Oral History 
project to be transferred to the Office.
``(g) Gifts and Bequests.--
``(1) Authority to accept.--The Secretary may accept, hold, 
administer, and spend any gift, devise, or bequest of real 
property, personal property, or money made on the condition 
that the gift, devise, or bequest be used for the benefit, or 
in connection with, the purposes and activities of the Office, 
including a gift, devise, or bequest of an improvement made 
pursuant to subsection (f)(3).
``(2) Disposition of property.--The Secretary may authorize 
the sale of donated property received under paragraph (1). A 
sale under this paragraph need not be conducted in accordance 
with disposal requirements that would otherwise apply, so long 
as the sale is conducted at arms-length and includes an 
auditable transaction record.
``(3) Use of money and proceeds.--Any money received under 
paragraph (1) and any proceeds from the sale of property under 
paragraph (2) shall be deposited into a fund established in the 
Treasury to support the purposes and activities of the Office.
``(h) Partnerships, Cooperative Agreements, and Lease Authority.--
``(1) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into a 
partnership or cooperative agreement with an organization to 
support the Office in fulfilling the responsibilities under 
subsection (d).
``(2) Lease authority.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may lease portions 
of any real property or facility of the Office to a 
nonprofit organization for use in generating revenue 
for the support of activities of the Office and for 
such administrative purposes as may be necessary for 
support of the Office.
``(B) Rent.--Any rent received by the Secretary 
under a lease under subparagraph (A), including rent-
in-kind, shall be used solely to cover or defray the 
costs of fulfilling the responsibilities under 
subsection (d).
``(3) Improvements.--The Secretary may permit a nonprofit 
organization to make improvements to real property or a 
facility of the Office for the construction of a multipurpose 
facility to be used for historical displays for public viewing, 
curation, and storage of artifacts, research facilities, 
classrooms, offices, and associated activities consistent with 
the mission of the Office.
``(i) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed as affecting the authority of the Archivist of the United 
States with respect to the management of permanent records of the 
Department.
``(j) Nonprofit Organization Defined.--In this section, the term 
`nonprofit organization means' an organization described in section 
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
under section 501(a) of that Code.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following 
new item:

``325. History Office.''.

SEC. 4. REPORTS.

(a) Long Range Planning.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives a report on proposed activities of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs History Office established pursuant to 
section 325(a) of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 3.
(b) Contents.--Such report shall include plans for the following:
(1) Staffing and budget.
(2) Organizational charts pertaining to the current staff 
and location of the History Office within the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
(3) Construction and renovation of facilities supporting 
the History Office, including the National Department of 
Veterans Affairs History Center.
(4) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative 
action as the Secretary determines appropriate with respect to 
the History Office.
(c) Annual Progress Reports.--Not later than one year after the 
date on which the Secretary submits the report required by subsection 
(a), and not less frequently than annually thereafter until December 
31, 2030, the Chief Historian of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
the House of Representatives a report on the progress of the History 
Office.
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