S. 2627: Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-08-05 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-08-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. 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

Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021

Plain summary

Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill addresses Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transportation benefits for certain veterans. First, the bill makes permanent the authority for the VA to transport any person to or from a VA facility or other place in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for an examination, treatment, or care. The bill also permanently extends the authorization of appropriations for grants provided to state veterans service agencies and veterans service organizations to transport highly rural veterans for medical care. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study fraud, waste, and abuse of benefits under the VA beneficiary travel program and report the findings to Congress. The GAO must also study and report on (1) the efficacy of the current mileage reimbursement rate under the program in mitigating the financial burden of transportation costs for traveling to and from VA medical facilities for care, (2) the origins of the amount of the deductible and its impact on the efficacy of the benefits provided in mitigating the financial burden on veterans seeking medical care, and (3) recommendations for how this program or another program could further encourage veterans to seek medical care. The bill also requires the VA to implement various pilot programs related to transportation benefits for veterans for specified purposes.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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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: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jerry Moran (R-KS), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA)

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 (3)

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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117s2627.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/s>

Record fed-us-cong117-s2627 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117