Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2704) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the equal employment opportunity functions of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2704.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2704, sponsored by Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Pappas, takes important steps to address sexual harassment and discrimination at the VA.

This bipartisan legislation, the Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act, would prioritize VA's tracking and responses to allegations.

For example, it requires VA's Equal Employment Opportunity Director to report directly to the Deputy Secretary. It also requires that any VA manager who receives a report of sexual or other harassment, or employment discrimination, report that complaint within 2 business days.

Among other important actions, this bill will also mandate additional training to identify and address sexual, and other types of harassment, and employment discrimination.

This legislation is based largely on the work of the Government Accountability Office, who testified in our committee during July of last year.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and also the author of this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing this important piece of legislation, H.R. 2704, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for their work in putting together this comprehensive group of bills today to support our veterans, including this bill, and I appreciate their support for it.

I rise in support of this legislation, the Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act, a bill that I introduced, along with Representative Hinson.

This bipartisan, bicameral bill will take critical steps to combat sexual harassment by updating VA's antiquated policies and structure, in addition to creating stronger reporting requirements.

We know that at least 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men who have served in the military are survivors of sexual assault, harassment, or abuse.

At the VA, we know that at least 1 in 4 women veterans and 1 in 4 women employees experience sexual harassment in healthcare settings.

It is simply unacceptable that someone who has proudly served our Nation is subjected to sexual harassment in the institution whose charge it is to serve them.

It is long past time for us to make systemic change at the VA that will honor the service of our veterans and healthcare providers and keep people safe.

This is commonsense legislation that came out of an Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee hearing that we held last July. We heard from the GAO and the VA on this issue. While important steps have been made by the VA in the recent past, this is important legislation that is going to continue to improve this situation and make the kind of long-lasting change that is long overdue.

I urge my colleagues to pass this commonsense bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2704, the Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act.

I was proud to introduce this legislation alongside Congressman Chris Pappas and Senator Maggie Hassan, as well as my fellow Iowan, Senator Joni Ernst, who is a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor herself.

Last year, a Government Accountability Office report exposed disturbing failures at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to handle sexual harassment and discrimination at the agency properly. The report also revealed that between 18 and 27 percent of VA employees experienced some form of sexual harassment at work between 2014 and 2016.

This is completely unacceptable.

This bipartisan, bicameral bill will improve the way sexual harassment is

handled at the VA and will crack down on instances of harassment and discrimination within the Department.

Nobody should feel unsafe at work. The care VA employees provide for our veterans is absolutely critical, but they cannot provide that best care, the care our veterans deserve, if they are suffering in a hostile work environment.

Not only is this an accountability and workplace safety issue, it is a disservice to our veterans who rely on the VA for high-quality care, and a disservice to taxpayers who fund the Department.

We can do better, and this legislation will ensure that those who serve our veterans feel safe at work so they can do their jobs effectively.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2704, the Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021.

It is a terrible reality that, according to a recent study, roughly 26 percent of female employees and 14 percent of male employees at VA have reported experiencing sexual harassment over a 2-year period.

Sadly, an even higher percentage of employees reported some type of discrimination, such as reprisal or racial discrimination.

Though these problems are large, I applaud the work of the VA Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion and what they do. They are taking these issues on headfirst, but there is still a long way to go.

That is why I am proud to support H.R. 2704, which would eliminate the potential conflict of interest in VA's chain of command; require stricter reporting of allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination; and require VA to finalize and deploy the Harassment Prevention Program, along with increasing training and reviews.

I am grateful to Chairman Chris Pappas and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson for introducing this bill and leading it. The bill has my full support.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), the cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 145, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 146, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 147, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 148.