House bill · 115th Congress · Did not become law
Where it went
- IntroducedApr 6, 2017
- Committee actionMay 8, 2018
- Passed HouseMay 21, 2018 · by voice vote
- Passed Senate—
- To the President—
- Became law—
Latest action: May 22, 2018 — Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Cost and committee reports
Official records Congress.gov attaches to H.R. 1972.
- CBO cost estimateThe Congressional Budget Office published “H.R. 1972, VA Billing Accountability Act” on May 17, 2018. CBO’s description reads “As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on May 8, 2018”.Read the CBO estimate ↗Source: Congressional Budget Office, May 17, 2018 ↗
Evidence
- Field in the Congress.gov record
- cboCostEstimates
- CBO publication
- https://www.cbo.gov/publication/53878
- CBO publication date
- May 17, 2018
- Congress.gov bill record
- H.R. 1972, 115th Congress
- Congress.gov API record
- https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/115/hr/1972
- Record last updated by Congress.gov
- April 7, 2025
- PORKER copy retrieved
- September 21, 2026
- Stored copy, SHA-256 of the file
59de041ade3474ccc6b10e49b4b71e1f784f964b6cc892adebaa21a7fd2a25a6
PORKER links to the estimate and does not repeat its dollar figures. Each estimate is for the version of the bill its description names; the bill may have changed since.
- Committee reportCongress.gov lists 1 committee report for this bill: H. Rept. 115-681 ↗. The Congress.gov committee record lists a “Reported By” entry for the Veterans' Affairs Committee on May 18, 2018.Source: Congress.gov, reported May 18, 2018 ↗
Evidence
- Field in the Congress.gov record
- committeeReports
- Report API records
- https://api.congress.gov/v3/committee-report/115/HRPT/681
- Congress.gov bill record
- H.R. 1972, 115th Congress
- Congress.gov API record
- https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/115/hr/1972
- Record last updated by Congress.gov
- April 7, 2025
- PORKER copy retrieved
- September 21, 2026
- Stored copy, SHA-256 of the file
59de041ade3474ccc6b10e49b4b71e1f784f964b6cc892adebaa21a7fd2a25a6
A committee report is the committee’s own explanation of the bill. PORKER lists it and links to it; reading it is up to you.
- Constitutional authority statementThe sponsor’s statement of where the Constitution gives Congress the power to pass this bill. Statement by Mr. SMUCKER, as printed in the Congressional Record (Vol. 163, No. 60, April 6, 2017, Page H2789):This legislation provides the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to waive a copayment requirement if the Department of Veterans Affairs is the cause of an error that delays sending a bill to a veteran. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to notify a veteran of how to get a waiver and establish a payment plan before they can collect payment when they do not bill a veteran in a timely manner. Specific authority is provided by Article 1, section 8 of the United States Constitution (clauses 12, 14, 16), which grants Congress the power to raise and support Armies; to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces; and to…Source: Congress.gov, Congressional Record April 6, 2017 ↗
Evidence
- Field in the Congress.gov record
- constitutionalAuthorityStatementText
- Statement length
- 750 characters
- Congress.gov bill record
- H.R. 1972, 115th Congress
- Congress.gov API record
- https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/115/hr/1972
- Record last updated by Congress.gov
- April 7, 2025
- PORKER copy retrieved
- September 21, 2026
- Stored copy, SHA-256 of the file
59de041ade3474ccc6b10e49b4b71e1f784f964b6cc892adebaa21a7fd2a25a6
PORKER shows the statement exactly as printed, with the page markup removed. It is the sponsor’s claim; it is not a legal finding.
From the Congress.gov bill record for H.R. 1972, last updated April 7, 2025. PORKER’s copy was retrieved September 21, 2026 and is refreshed nightly. Open “Evidence” on any line for the record, field and file fingerprint.
Vote results
No recorded roll-call votes on this bill in PORKER’s records (voice votes and unanimous consent are not roll calls; roll-call records start in 2011).
Cosponsors
48 cosponsors — 44 Republicans, 2 Democrats, 2 independents
3 of 48 cosponsors (6%) are from the other party.
Lou Barletta (R-PA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Susan Brooks (R-IN), Ryan Costello (R-PA), Eric Crawford (R-AR), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Daniel Donovan (R-NY), Tom Emmer (R-MN), John Faso (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Gregg Harper (R-MS), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Walter Jones (R-NC), John Katko (R-NY), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Steve King (R-IA), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Thomas MacArthur (R-NJ), Tom Marino (R-PA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and 18 more.
More from the sponsor
Other 115th Congress bills sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Smucker.
- H.R. 2991 (115th) Susquehanna National Heritage Area Act
- H.R. 2866 (115th) Reducing Unnecessary Barriers for Relative Foster Parents Act
- H.R. 5153 (115th) USA Workforce Tax Credit Act
- H.R. 3888 (115th) Strengthening our Pediatric Workforce Act of 2017
- H.R. 4703 (115th) Department of Labor Accountability Act of 2017
- H.R. 1971 (115th) Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act
Sponsor’s state and district
Data as of Sep 22, 2026 · bill record checked by PORKER from Congress.gov · votes from Senate.gov and the House Clerk. PORKER is non-partisan.