HR 8736 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

GUARD VA Benefits Act

Introduced Aug 19, 2022 Originated House Sponsor Chris Pappas D-NH

Latest action · Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedAug 19, 2022
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act

This bill imposes criminal penalties and/or fines on individuals for directly or indirectly soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Cosponsors 118

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Aug 19, 2022 to Dec 21, 2022; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-TX	Jake Ellzey	Original	Aug 19, 2022
D-NH	Ann M. Kuster		Sep 15, 2022
D-IL	Cheri Bustos		Sep 15, 2022
R-LA	Clay Higgins		Sep 15, 2022
D-RI	David N. Cicilline		Sep 15, 2022
D-NV	Dina Titus		Sep 15, 2022
R-WI	Glenn Grothman		Sep 15, 2022
D-MP	Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan		Sep 15, 2022
D-MA	James P. McGovern		Sep 15, 2022
D-NJ	Jefferson Van Drew		Sep 15, 2022
D-CA	Katie Porter		Sep 15, 2022
D-PA	Madeleine Dean		Sep 15, 2022
R-TX	Pete Sessions		Sep 15, 2022
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		Sep 15, 2022
D-MA	Seth Moulton		Sep 15, 2022
D-MA	Stephen F. Lynch		Sep 15, 2022
D-AZ	Tom O'Halleran		Sep 15, 2022
D-MI	Brenda L. Lawrence		Sep 19, 2022
D-NY	Carolyn B. Maloney		Sep 19, 2022
D-IA	Cynthia Axne		Sep 19, 2022
R-WV	David B. McKinley		Sep 19, 2022
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly		Sep 19, 2022
D-GU	Michael F. Q. San Nicolas		Sep 19, 2022
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Sep 19, 2022
D-MA	William R. Keating		Sep 19, 2022
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren		Sep 19, 2022
R-PR	Jenniffer González-Colón		Sep 20, 2022
D-CA	Julia Brownley		Sep 20, 2022
D-IL	Lauren Underwood		Sep 20, 2022
D-CA	Nanette Diaz Barragán		Sep 20, 2022
D-KS	Sharice Davids		Sep 20, 2022
D-OH	Tim Ryan		Sep 20, 2022
D-AZ	Ann Kirkpatrick		Sep 21, 2022
D-VA	Elaine G. Luria		Sep 21, 2022
D-CO	Joe Neguse		Sep 21, 2022
D-MA	Richard E. Neal		Sep 21, 2022
D-PA	Chrissy Houlahan		Sep 22, 2022
R-CO	Ken Buck		Sep 22, 2022
D-WA	Kim Schrier		Sep 22, 2022
D-WA	Marilyn Strickland		Sep 22, 2022
D-PA	Susan Wild		Sep 22, 2022
R-NY	Andrew R. Garbarino		Sep 28, 2022
R-AS	Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen		Sep 28, 2022
D-NY	Brian Higgins		Sep 28, 2022
R-CA	Doug LaMalfa		Sep 28, 2022
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik		Sep 28, 2022
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Sep 28, 2022
D-RI	James R. Langevin		Sep 28, 2022
R-FL	Kat Cammack		Sep 28, 2022
D-FL	Kathy Castor		Sep 28, 2022
D-NC	Kathy E. Manning		Sep 28, 2022
R-TN	Mark E. Green		Sep 28, 2022
D-NY	Paul Tonko		Sep 28, 2022
D-IL	Raja Krishnamoorthi		Sep 28, 2022
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva		Sep 28, 2022
R-VA	Robert J. Wittman		Sep 28, 2022
R-TN	Scott DesJarlais		Sep 28, 2022
D-CA	Ted Lieu		Sep 28, 2022
D-LA	Troy A. Carter		Sep 28, 2022
D-VA	A. Donald McEachin		Sep 29, 2022
D-MN	Angie Craig		Sep 29, 2022
R-KS	Jake LaTurner		Sep 29, 2022
D-CA	Jim Costa		Sep 29, 2022
D-VA	Abigail Davis Spanberger		Oct 7, 2022
R-IA	Ashley Hinson		Oct 7, 2022
D-CA	Barbara Lee		Oct 7, 2022
D-IL	Bill Foster		Oct 7, 2022
R-CA	David G. Valadao		Oct 7, 2022
D-WA	Derek Kilmer		Oct 7, 2022
R-NE	Don Bacon		Oct 7, 2022
R-CA	Jay Obernolte		Oct 7, 2022
D-CA	John Garamendi		Oct 7, 2022
D-CA	Karen Bass		Oct 7, 2022
D-TX	Lizzie Fletcher		Oct 7, 2022
D-VT	Peter Welch		Oct 7, 2022
D-IL	Sean Casten		Oct 7, 2022
D-WA	Suzan K. DelBene		Oct 7, 2022
R-NC	Virginia Foxx		Oct 7, 2022
D-NJ	Andy Kim		Oct 25, 2022
R-MN	Brad Finstad		Oct 25, 2022
D-IL	Danny K. Davis		Oct 25, 2022
D-MD	David J. Trone		Oct 25, 2022
R-OH	David P. Joyce		Oct 25, 2022
D-MI	Debbie Dingell		Oct 25, 2022
R-AZ	Debbie Lesko		Oct 25, 2022
D-CO	Diana DeGette		Oct 25, 2022
D-HI	Ed Case		Oct 25, 2022
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		Oct 25, 2022
D-MI	Haley M. Stevens		Oct 25, 2022
D-NJ	Josh Gottheimer		Oct 25, 2022
D-CA	Lucille Roybal-Allard		Oct 25, 2022
D-GA	Lucy McBath		Oct 25, 2022
D-OH	Marcy Kaptur		Oct 25, 2022
D-NM	Melanie A. Stansbury		Oct 25, 2022
R-TX	Randy K. Weber, Sr.		Oct 25, 2022
D-MI	Rashida Tlaib		Oct 25, 2022
D-CA	Ro Khanna		Oct 25, 2022
D-IL	Robin L. Kelly		Oct 25, 2022
D-FL	Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick		Oct 25, 2022
D-OR	Suzanne Bonamici		Oct 25, 2022
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		Oct 25, 2022
R-FL	Vern Buchanan		Dec 1, 2022
D-IN	André Carson		Dec 2, 2022
R-OH	Bill Johnson		Dec 2, 2022
D-PA	Brendan F. Boyle		Dec 2, 2022
D-TX	Colin Z. Allred		Dec 2, 2022
D-MN	Dean Phillips		Dec 2, 2022
D-AZ	Greg Stanton		Dec 2, 2022
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Dec 2, 2022
R-OK	Kevin Hern		Dec 2, 2022
D-TX	Marc A. Veasey		Dec 2, 2022
D-PA	Matt Cartwright		Dec 2, 2022
D-NY	Mondaire Jones		Dec 2, 2022
D-CA	Sara Jacobs		Dec 2, 2022
R-FL	Scott Franklin		Dec 2, 2022
D-TX	Sheila Jackson Lee		Dec 2, 2022
D-TX	Vicente Gonzalez		Dec 2, 2022
D-MI	Daniel T. Kildee		Dec 21, 2022

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Referred Aug 19, 2022
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Aug 19, 2022
	Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee	Referred Nov 1, 2022

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Nov 1, 2022Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Aug 19, 2022Introduced in House
Aug 19, 2022Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States Constitution states that ``Congress shall have the authority to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by the Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 137, August 19, 2022, page H7716.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 5089	GUARD VA Benefits Act	Identical bill	Nov 15, 2022

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 38, United States Code, to reinstate criminal penalties for persons charging veterans unauthorized fees relating to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: GUARD VA Benefits Act; Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Aug 19, 2022Introduced in House

Support LegiList

This page is free, carries no paywall, and is built and maintained by one person. If the record here is useful to you, a few dollars keeps it going.

$1 $5 $10

Processed by Stripe in a separate window. LegiList never sees card details.

Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.