Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2016
Public Law 114-256 · H.R. 3471 · 114th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 14, 2016 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN-2)
Cosponsors (51): Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. Raul Ruiz,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that an eligible disabled veteran provided an automobile or other conveyance is given the opportunity to make personal selections relating to such conveyance.
(Sec. 3) The VA shall develop a comprehensive policy regarding quality standards for providers of modification services to veterans under the automobile adaptive equipment program.
Such policy shall cover: (1) management of the automobile adaptive equipment program, (2) development and application of safety and quality standards for equipment and installation, (3) provider certification by a third party organization or manufacturer, (4) manufacturer certification of a provider, (5) education and training of VA personnel, (6) provider compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and (7) allowance for veterans to receive modifications at their residence or location of choice.
The VA shall approve a manufacturer as a certifying manufacturer if such manufacturer demonstrates that its certification standards meet or exceed the quality standards provided for by this bill.
The VA may approve two or more private, nonprofit organizations as third party, nonprofit certifying organizations.
The VA shall: (1) within one year and at least every six years thereafter, update VHA Handbook 1173.4 in accordance with such policy; and (2) within one year of such update and biennially thereafter through 2022, report on policy implementation and facility compliance.
The VA shall: (1) develop and revise such policy in consultation with veteran service organizations, the National Highway Transportation Administration, industry representatives, manufacturers of automobile adaptive equipment, and other entities with relevant expertise; and (2) ensure against the use of a certifying entity that has a financial conflict of interest regarding the certification of an eligible provider.
(Sec. 4) The VA may appoint licensed hearing aid specialists to the Veterans Health Administration.
The VA shall ensure that: (1) a hearing aid specialist may only perform hearing services consistent with the specialist's state license related to the practice of fitting and dispensing hearing aids, without excluding other qualified professionals from rendering services in overlapping practice areas; (2) services provided to veterans by hearing aid specialists shall be provided as part of the non-medical treatment plan developed by an audiologist; and (3) VA medical facilities provide veterans with access to the full range of audiologist services.
The VA shall, within one year and annually thereafter for the next five years, report on: (1) veterans access to such hearing health services; and (2) VA contracting policies for providing hearing health services to veterans in non-VA facilities, including the number of veterans referred to audiologists and hearing aid specialists.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Health Subcommittee; Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 28 actions.
- Dec 14, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-256.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 2, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 29, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mrs. Walorski asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and agree to the Senate amendment.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Nov 18, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 17, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 13, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Sep 12, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3471.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Miller (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 6, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 548.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 114-709.
- May 18, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Apr 29, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote .
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Nov 17, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Health Subcommittee of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Sep 25, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Sep 10, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 5111SenateSen. Jerry MoranR-KS· offered Nov 17, 2016Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Nov 17, 2016: Amendment SA 5111 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.