Democratic lawmakers on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs have introduced two bills intended to improve IT acquisition and management at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Reps. Mark Takano of California and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida have proposed the Manage VA Act and the Department of Veterans Affairs IT Modernization Improvement Act, which are intended to spur a wider overhaul of how technology services are procured at the agency... If enacted, the Manage VA Act would create a VA undersecretary for management post, which the lawmakers say would have the effect of consolidating and standardizing acquisition and IT functions across the department. The IT Modernization Improvement Act, meanwhile, would require VA to contract for an independent verification and validation assessment of four major IT modernization programs: its EHR modernization, supply chain modernization, financial management and business transformation and veterans benefits management system... Read the full article here.