H.R. 4971: Ask Veterans Act
Before you vote › Federal bills
H.R. 4971: Ask Veterans Act
113th Congress · introduced 2014-06-25 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 484.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2014-06-25 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 484. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Ask Veterans Act
Plain summary
Ask Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract with an experienced non-government entity to conduct an annual survey, over a five-year period, of a statistically significant sample of veterans who reside in the geographic area served by each VA medical facility to determine the experiences of such veterans in obtaining hospital care and medical services at such facility. Requires those surveys to include questions relating to: the veteran's ability to obtain hospital care and medical services at the facility in a timely manner, the time that expires between the date the veteran requests an appointment and the date on which the appointment is scheduled, the frequency with which scheduled appointments are cancelled, and the quality of hospital care or medical services the veteran receives. Requires the non-government entity to consult with veterans service organizations in designing and conducting the surveys. Prohibits the non-government entity from conducting a survey before the Comptroller General (GAO) certifies the survey as scientifically valid and the proposed sample size of veterans as statistically significant. Directs the Secretary to make the results of the surveys publicly available on the VA's Internet website.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16] · 32 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Steven Horsford (D-NV), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Al Green (D-TX), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr4971.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>
Record fed-us-cong113-hr4971 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113