H.R. 1662 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit smoking in any facility of t…

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Updated April 15, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTC

The bill changes federal law to ban smoking in all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. It makes indoor smoking illegal right away and outdoor smoking illegal at VHA sites starting October 1, 2022. The rule applies to all types of tobacco use, including e‑cigarettes, and covers every VA‑run medical center, clinic, nursing home, or similar site.

Key Provisions

No person may smoke indoors at any VHA facility.
No person may smoke outdoors at any VHA facility on or after October 1, 2022.
“Smoking” is defined to include cigarettes, e‑cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and any other tobacco combustion.
A “facility of the Veterans Health Administration” includes any VA‑owned or controlled land or building that provides health or counseling services, but not properties run by the General Services Administration.
Repeals an older provision (Section 526 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992) that conflicted with the new ban.
The new rules become effective 90 days after the law is enacted.

Legislative Activity

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8 earlier actions

HouseCalendars Latest Action

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 806.

November 16, 2018

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 21, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

March 21, 2017

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Health Subcommittee

March 29, 2017

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Health Subcommittee

March 29, 2017

HouseCommittee

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .

Health Subcommittee

April 6, 2017

HouseCommittee

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

May 17, 2017

HouseCommittee

Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

May 17, 2017

HouseCommittee

Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 115-1033.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

November 16, 2018

HouseCalendars

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 806.

November 16, 2018

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about H.R. 1662 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Rep. David P. RoeR-TN-1 · Jul 24, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1848) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on the use of medical scribes in Department of Veterans…

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1848) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on the use of medical scribes in Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1848, as amended, the Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017, which I am proud to sponsor.

One of my priorities as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is to increase access to care for veteran patients. One way to do that is help hardworking Department of Veterans Affairs clinicians to be more efficient in the practice of high-quality care.

The Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017 would do just that by creating a 2-year pilot program to test the use of scribes in VA medical centers.

Scribes are increasingly used in the private sector to help doctors navigate and document a patient's electronic health record. That allows doctors to place their focus not on a computer screen, but squarely on the patient.

I jokingly say, Mr. Speaker, that it was electronic health records that made me a Congressman. Basically, it ran me out of the medical office. That is a slight exaggeration, but it is not too far off.

Like many doctors I hear from today, I found the increasing amount of time that I was spending attending to electronic health record requirements, necessary as they may be, detracted from the quality of my patients' interactions and significantly slowed down how smoothly my clinic day would operate. I believe the same is true at VA. Many doctors now, Mr. Speaker, are spending over half their time entering information, just basically being data entry people.

Onsite visits to VA medical facilities across the country, my staff and I always ask VA employees how we can help them provide safer, better care and see more patients. By far, one of the most common responses that we hear is a plea to ``give us scribes; give us some help.''

That is exactly what passage of H.R. 1848, as amended, will do.

This bill also includes provisions of H.R. 1662, a bill sponsored by Dr. Brad Wenstrup, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, which would bring VA medical centers in line with every other major healthcare system by prohibiting smoking on VA medical facility properties.

I thank Dr. Wenstrup for his leadership on this issue, and I am grateful to be working with him to make VA medical facilities healthy, smoke-free places for VA employees to serve veterans and for veterans to seek care.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support me in supporting H.R. 1448, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Timothy J. WalzD-MN-1 · Jul 24, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1848, as amended, the Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017, offered by Chairman Roe. No one knows more…

Bill Text

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Reported in HouseIssued November 16, 2018

IB

Union Calendar No. 806

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 1662

[Report No. 115–1033]

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 21, 2017

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

November 16, 2018

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit smoking in any facility of the Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes.

1.

Prohibition on smoking in facilities of the Veterans Health Administration

(a)

Prohibition

Section 1715 of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

1715.

Prohibition on smoking in facilities of the Veterans Health Administration

(a)

Prohibition

(1)

No person may smoke indoors in any facility of the Veterans Health Administration.

(2)

No person may smoke outdoors in any facility of the Veterans Health Administration on or after October 1, 2022.

(b)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

The term smoke includes the smoking of cigarettes (including e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes), cigars, pipes, and any other combustion of tobacco.

(2)

The term facility of the Veterans Health Administration means any land or building (including any medical center, nursing home, domiciliary facility, outpatient clinic, or center that provides readjustment counseling) that is—

(A)

under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs;

(B)

under the control of the Veterans Health Administration; and

(C)

not under the control of the General Services Administration.

.

(b)

Conforming amendments

(1)

The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended by striking the item relating to section 1715 and inserting the following:

1715. Prohibition on smoking in facilities of the Veterans Health Administration.

.

(2)

Section 526 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–585) is repealed.

(c)

Effective date

This section shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

November 16, 2018

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed