Veterans' Credit Protection Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Veterans' Credit Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) conduct outreach to inform veterans of how to resolve credit issues caused by a delayed payment (i.e., a proper invoice that is not paid by the Secretary until after the required payment date); and (2) establish a toll-free telephone number for veterans to report such issues to the Veterans Integrated Service Networks.
Requires the Secretary to report annually on the effectiveness of each Network in providing timely payment of proper invoices during both the preceding five-year period and the preceding one-year period. Requires such report to include:
the number of veterans who contacted the Secretary regarding delayed payments that could negatively affect their credit;
the total amount of interest penalties paid by the Secretary by reason of delayed payments;
the number of proper invoices submitted, the amount owed for and the payment status of such invoices, and the periods that elapsed before such invoices were paid;
relevant comments received from medical providers regarding delayed payments;
identification of the Networks with the least and most delayed payments; and
a description of the best practices to provide timely payment of a proper invoice, including a plan for under-performing Networks to improve.
Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a study that assesses the effectiveness of each Network in providing timely payment of proper invoices.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on July 24, 2014. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 24, 2014: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA) introduced it on July 24, 2014. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 24, 2014, 4431 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4431 days ago, on July 24, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers