Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7337) to require the Archivist of the United States to submit a plan to Congress to eliminate the records backlog at the National Personnel Records Center, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Access for Veterans to Records Act would address the serious backlog of requests for veterans' records currently pending at the National Personnel Records Center, or NPRC, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration. This bill has received bipartisan support, and I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including Ranking Member Comer and Representative Fred Keller, who have cosponsored this legislation, along with a number of other Members.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the NPRC has accumulated a backlog of veterans' records requests, which reached a peak of 603,000 during March of 2022.

Veterans and their families need these records to access critical services, including housing and healthcare.

Many of these records are only available as paper documents. That limitation, combined with limited building operations and a reduced workforce to protect NPRC employees during the coronavirus pandemic, have been the primary cause of this backlog.

The NPRC has made some progress to reduce the backlog. As of February 28, the NPRC workforce has returned to full capacity at its facility in St. Louis, Missouri. NPRC also added overtime shifts on weekends and some holidays. However, the backlog, which currently stands at 515,000 records requests, remains significant and can only be remedied with legislative intervention.

This bill has two components. First, it requires National Archives to provide the Oversight and Reform Committee with a detailed plan and target timeframes to eliminate the backlog and strategies to prevent a future records requests backlog. This includes submitting biannual status updates on the backlog and maintaining staffing levels to meet the goal of responding to 90 percent of requests in 20 days or less.

Second, the bill would authorize $60 million for NARA to make upgrades to its information technology infrastructure. The upgrades are necessary for NARA to improve its ability to digitize documents and to prevent future backlogs.

The committee has already voted to approve $60 million for National Archives in an amendment offered by Representative Keller to another bill.

Congress must take action to help our veterans, many of whom put their lives on hold waiting for records from the NPRC. I urge my colleagues to support the veterans by supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 7337, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, over 2 years ago, committee Republicans opened an investigation into the veterans' records requests backlog at the National Personnel Records Center.

Pennsylvania veterans and their families were frustrated and concerned with the lengthy delays they were experiencing as they tried to access their own documents outlining military service.

American veterans and families rely on these records to prove eligibility for medical care and the benefits they are entitled to.

What we found was deeply disturbing. The records at the NPRC are on paper. They cannot be accessed remotely.

When the NPRC shut down in-person operations and told its workforce to go home, the backlog piled up to more than 500,000 military service records requests.

Veterans put their lives on the line for our country. The least we can do for them is to ensure they have access to the care and benefits they have earned.

Based on our findings, we urged the chairwoman to hold hearings. We pressed the NPRC to get staff back to work in person. But under the current administration, the backlog has grown to over 600,000 pending requests, with more added daily.

That is why, in June of last year, I introduced the RECORDS Act to require the NPRC to get back to work in person. Finally, after significant pressure from congressional Republicans, the NPRC returned to full in-person staffing on March 7 of this year.

I am pleased that this legislation has finally reached the House floor.

The Access for Veterans to Records Act incorporates improvements Republicans made to ensure the backlog is fixed. This bipartisan legislation requires the NPRC to maintain in-person staffing levels.

The bill also authorizes the funds necessary to speed up the digital preservation of records, so we will not face this problem in the future.

Finally, the bill contains reporting requirements to ensure proper accountability for addressing the current backlog and preventing future issues.

The Access for Veterans to Records Act is a bipartisan bill that demonstrates how Congress can work together to advance legislative reforms that are truly responsive to the needs of the American people and those who have given so much for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7337 is a bipartisan bill directly addressing a current problem facing America's veterans. I am thankful that the chairwoman and her staff worked with me to bring this necessary legislation to the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairwoman and Mr. Keller, my colleague and friend from Pennsylvania, for their leadership on H.R. 7337, the Access for Veterans to Records Act.

The Access for Veterans to Records Act will help provide the National Archives and Records Administration resources desperately needed to address veterans' records requests.

The records center houses records that are essential for veterans to receive the service-related benefits they need, including medical treatment, unemployment assistance, and emergency housing.

The records center was already behind the curve when it came to investing in records digitization, creating a massive backlog. The pandemic then exacerbated that problem.

Although NPRC has reduced the backlog to 515,000 from a peak of 603,000, it is still preventing veterans from receipt of the records they need. It can't be an acceptable standard.

The Access for Veterans to Records Act requires NARA to submit a detailed plan for eliminating the backlog and authorizes $60 million to improve the situation.

This legislative effort works in lockstep with the National Archives and Records Administration's own efforts to secure funding from the Federal Technology Modernization Fund. At the urging of the chairwoman, myself, and others, the National Archives applied for and received a $9.1 million award from the Technology Modernization Fund to do just that.

Projects like this one at the National Archives are precisely why we created the Technology Modernization Fund. Proactive investments in effective technologies make Federal programs work and will serve our veterans well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.