| 1 | 1 | | I |
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| 2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. R. 1288 |
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| 5 | 5 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the mileage rate offered |
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| 6 | 6 | | by the Department of Veterans Affairs through their Beneficiary Travel |
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| 7 | 7 | | program for health related travel, and for other purposes. |
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| 8 | 8 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 9 | 9 | | FEBRUARY13, 2025 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Ms. B |
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| 11 | 11 | | ROWNLEY(for herself, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. |
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| 12 | 12 | | S |
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| 13 | 13 | | HERMAN, Mr. COHEN, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. HOYLEof Or- |
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| 14 | 14 | | egon, Ms. N |
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| 15 | 15 | | ORTON, Mr. OBERNOLTE, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. |
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| 16 | 16 | | L |
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| 17 | 17 | | IEU, and Ms. TITUS) introduced the following bill; which was referred |
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| 18 | 18 | | to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs |
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| 19 | 19 | | A BILL |
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| 20 | 20 | | To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the |
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| 21 | 21 | | mileage rate offered by the Department of Veterans Af- |
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| 22 | 22 | | fairs through their Beneficiary Travel program for health |
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| 23 | 23 | | related travel, and for other purposes. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
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| 25 | 25 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Driver Reimbursement 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Increase for Veteran Equity Act of 2025’’ or the ‘‘DRIVE 5 |
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| 29 | 29 | | Act of 2025’’. 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:06 Apr 09, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1288.IH H1288 |
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| 31 | 31 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | •HR 1288 IH |
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| 33 | 33 | | SEC. 2. PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES BY DEPARTMENT OF 1 |
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| 34 | 34 | | VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR BENEFICIARY TRAV-2 |
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| 35 | 35 | | EL. 3 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (a) M |
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| 37 | 37 | | INIMUMPAYMENTAMOUNT.—Subsection (g) of 4 |
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| 38 | 38 | | section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 5 |
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| 39 | 39 | | to read as follows: 6 |
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| 40 | 40 | | ‘‘(g) The Secretary shall ensure that the mileage rate 7 |
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| 41 | 41 | | described in subsection (a) is equal to or greater than the 8 |
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| 42 | 42 | | mileage reimbursement rate for the use of privately owned 9 |
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| 43 | 43 | | vehicles by Government employees on official business 10 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (when no Government vehicle is available), as prescribed 11 |
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| 45 | 45 | | by the Administrator of General Services under section 12 |
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| 46 | 46 | | 5707(b) of title 5.’’. 13 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) T |
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| 48 | 48 | | IMELYPROCESSING OF ALLOWANCES.—Sub-14 |
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| 49 | 49 | | section (b) of such section is amended by adding at the 15 |
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| 50 | 50 | | end the following new paragraph: 16 |
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| 51 | 51 | | ‘‘(5) If, with respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary 17 |
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| 52 | 52 | | exercises the authority under this section to make any pay-18 |
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| 53 | 53 | | ments, the Secretary shall take such actions as may be 19 |
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| 54 | 54 | | necessary to ensure that an allowance based on mileage 20 |
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| 55 | 55 | | paid under subsection (a) is paid not later than 90 days 21 |
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| 56 | 56 | | after the date on which a request for such allowance is 22 |
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| 57 | 57 | | properly submitted to the Secretary in accordance with 23 |
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| 58 | 58 | | such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary.’’. 24 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (c) C |
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| 60 | 60 | | ONFORMINGAMENDMENTS.—Such section is 25 |
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| 61 | 61 | | further amended— 26 |
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| 62 | 62 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:06 Apr 09, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1288.IH H1288 |
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| 63 | 63 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 |
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| 64 | 64 | | •HR 1288 IH |
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| 65 | 65 | | (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(at a rate of 1 |
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| 66 | 66 | | 41.5 cents per mile)’’ and inserting ‘‘(at a rate de-2 |
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| 67 | 67 | | termined in accordance with subsection (g))’’; and 3 |
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| 68 | 68 | | (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘and not-4 |
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| 69 | 69 | | withstanding subsection (g)(2) of this section’’. 5 |
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| 70 | 70 | | Æ |
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| 71 | 71 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:06 Apr 09, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1288.IH H1288 |
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| 72 | 72 | | ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS |
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