HR 932

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 4, 2025

Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Mr. Deluzio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To amend titles 38 and 5, United States Code, to ensure that certain employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs are subject to the same removal, demotion, and suspension policies as other employees of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Protecting VA Employees Act”.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF SEPARATE REMOVAL, DEMOTION, AND SUSPENSION PROCESSES FOR CERTAIN EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Repeal.—

(1) Title 38.—Section 714 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

(A) by striking subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), and

(g);

(B) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), and (h) as subsections (a), (b), and (c), respectively;

(C) in subsection (a), as so redesignated, by striking “under subsection (a)” each place it appears; and

(D) in subsection (c), as so redesignated—

(i) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4); and

(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and

(6) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively.

(2) Title 5.—Section 4303(f) of title 5, United States Code, is amended—

(A) in paragraph (2), by striking the comma at the end and inserting “, or”;

(B) in paragraph (3), by striking “, or” and inserting a period; and

(C) by striking paragraph (4).

(b) Conforming Amendments.—Chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

(1) in section 719, by striking “under section 713, 714, or 7461 of this title” each place it appears and inserting “under section 713 or 7461 of this title”;

(2) in section 714, as amended by subsection (a), by striking the section heading and inserting “Protections for whistleblowers from removal, demotion, and suspension”;

(3) by redesignating section 714 as section 734;

(4) by transferring section 734, as so redesignated, so as to appear after section 733; and

(5) in the table of sections—

(A) by striking the item relating to section 714; and

(B) by inserting after the item relating to section 733 the following new item:

“734. Protections for whistleblowers from removal, demotion, and suspension.”.

SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF CERTAIN DISCIPLINARY AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR PERSONNEL OF THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

The following provisions of title 38, United States Code, are each amended to read as such provisions read on the day before the date of the enactment of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-41):

(1) Section 7461(b).

(2) Section 7462(b).

(3) Section 7463(c). <all>