According to an article published by Government Executive, the bipartisan bill, H.R. 6682 also known as the Protecting VA Employees Act, would restore the Merit Systems Protection Board and arbitrator’s power to review adverse personnel actions. It would also increase the burden of proof for malfeasance that the VA must show. The full text of the bill is approximately 4 pages long and can be seen by clicking here.
The purpose of this new bill would be to roll back some portions of the 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. American Federation of Government Employees National VA Council President Alma Lee gave the following statement:
“Under the previous administration, the employees tasked with caring for our nation’s veterans had a target on their backs and were terminated at an alarming rate,” Lee said. “With this fix in the law, employees can rest assured that if discipline is proposed, they will have a fair process for pursuing appeals and continuing their careers serving veterans.”
Alma Lee, AFGE National VA Council President
The Protecting VA Employees Act was introduced by Reps. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. To keep up to date on this bill and set alerts for changes in its status, you can visit this page.
