H.R. 512: WINGMAN Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-01-12 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-01-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Yoho, Ted S. [R-FL-3] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

WINGMAN Act

Plain summary

Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act (Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide each veteran who submits a claim for VA benefits with an opportunity to permit a covered congressional employee in the office of the veteran's Member of Congress to have read-only access to all of the veteran's records in the Veterans Benefits Administration databases. A Member may designate up to two such covered congressional employees. A covered congressional employee may not be recognized as an agent or attorney with respect to veterans' benefit claims. Funds under this bill may not be used to design or administer any training for covered congressional employees. The bill makes up to $10 million available for obligation or expenditure for FY2018 through FY2021 for such congressional employee access program. No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the bill.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), 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)

Official text

WINGMAN Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Yoho, Ted S. [R-FL-3] · 174 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brian Babin (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jim Costa (D-CA), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), Andy Harris (R-MD), J. French Hill (R-AR), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Brian J. Mast (R-FL), Harold Rogers (R-KY), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Tom Emmer (R-MN), James A. Himes (D-CT), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Tom Cole (R-OK), Ami Bera (D-CA) and 114 more.

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.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr512.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr512 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115