Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of La Soupe, a local nonprofit here in Cincinnati, with the rest of the country and to recognize them for their contributions to our community.

La Soupe is a non-profit organization run by a local chef, Suzy DeYoung. They take the food-waste donations of local grocery stores-- food that would otherwise be thrown out at the end of the day--and turn it into delicious soups, that are then given to people who are hungry.

In 2016 alone, La Soupe successfully rescued 125,000 pounds of food from going to the landfill and donated over 95,000 servings to people living in food insecurity.

La Soupe's impact in the Greater Cincinnati area should be shared with the country as we work to address poverty, and the challenges that Americans experiencing poverty face every day. La Soupe is a prime example of why the federal government needs to focus on empowering local poverty and hunger initiatives to thrive. They know the community best--and are positioned to provide the local solutions that are needed to help their neighbors.

Thank you to Suzy, and the staff at La Soupe, for their dedication to the wellbeing of all members of our community. I look forward to watching the further success of La Soupe, and the impact it makes on Ohio's Second District, and the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1058, the VA Provider Equity Act, as amended, which would strengthen access to the comprehensive first-class healthcare that veterans deserve.

Podiatric care is one of the top needs at VA medical centers across the country. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan report high rate of musculoskeletal ailments resulting from lower extremity injuries inflicted by improvised explosive devices.

Veterans of previous wars also experience higher instances of foot and ankle ailments caused by aging, diabetes, and service-connected disabilities. All of this leads to increased demand for podiatric care at the VHA.

However, VA struggles to recruit and retain podiatrists due to a disparity in pay and leadership opportunities in comparison to both podiatrists in the private sector and to other physicians employed by the VA.

This is because VA first established standards for podiatrists in 1976, and podiatric education, training, and practice have changed considerably since that time. Nonetheless, VA's outdated standards have remained unchanged. This has translated into increased wait times. As of 2015, 93 percent of new podiatry patients wait more than 15 days for an appointment, and podiatry is the fourth most referred-out surgical service to community care.

My bill, H.R. 1058, the VA Provider Equity Act, would make VA's doctors of podiatric medicine equal to doctors of osteopathy and medical doctors within VA in terms of pay and ensure that VA podiatrists are eligible for the same promotions and leadership opportunities as other VA physicians, which is consistent with the private sector.

This bill will make it easier for VA to recruit and retain the specialists our veterans so desperately need. In turn, this will result in better care for veterans and savings to the taxpayer, as a recent study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that podiatry services provided to diabetic patients could have saved between $29 million and $97 million in 2014, in the State of California alone.

Mr. Speaker, as the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and the rest of our colleagues in Congress continue to work together to help our veterans receive the care they need, I urge the passage of this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the Nadler amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the Nadler amendment would allow detainees currently housed at GTMO to be transferred to the United States. As in previous conflicts, it is appropriate and lawful to hold detainees that we engage in our armed conflicts.

Guantanamo is the safest and most appropriate location to house these detainees. Members can visit there. It is secure and relatively distant from the United States.

Moving to the U.S. puts our homeland and citizens at risk. Our enemies have, when able, attacked and, on occasion, freed detainees, even committing suicide to do it. I have seen the attempts. I have served in Iraq at a detention facility.

And as far as Guantanamo being a recruitment tool, it might just be a recruitment tool, and here is why. Because if you are caught trying to kill Americans and committing acts of terrorism, you get to go to a Caribbean island that provides humane conditions for the detainees. Go visit there and you will see that. They have appropriate access to healthcare, the same healthcare that our troops get. They have recreational activities, and they have cultural and religious materials.

But, more important than anything else, our troops, and the detainees that they hold there, are all safer in Cuba. It is very difficult to sneak up and attack Guantanamo Bay.

The recent terrorist attacks in Europe should remind us all that there is significant risk, and that we face significant risk in this world. Yes, we wish the war on terror was over. But guess what. It is not.

This would only increase the risk right here in our own backyards. Congress has passed, and the President has

signed into law, restrictions on Guantanamo detainee transfers to the U.S. every year since fiscal year 2010. To house these terrorists, these enemies of freedom on our own land is dangerous. I ask for your support in defeating this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I missed two votes on June 22. If I were present, I would have voted on the following: Rollcall No. 316: On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea.'' Rollcall No. 317: On Passage of H. Res. 396, ``yea.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this.

You know, as a physician, we take an oath. We say: Do no harm.

And today in America and here in Washington, D.C., we are debating physician-assisted suicide, where we are authorizing physicians to take someone's life--to assist in taking someone's life. To me, this undermines the very thing that healthcare is all about.

Who is most affected in this situation?

Our most vulnerable citizens: the disabled and the poor.

As a doctor, I can tell you, what has always been in my heart is this is about care and about comfort, and those are our priorities.

Physician-assisted suicide does not provide comfort. It merely ends life.

In Washington, D.C., a doctor can decide that you may be going to die within 6 months if you have a terminal disease--a terminal disease if you are untreated. Many terminal diseases would be terminal if they are not treated. With that, the doctor can write a prescription. There is no tracking of that prescription once it is given and there is no witness of the patient taking this prescription. They can simply go home to die alone.

In one State where there is physician-assisted suicide, they have had an increase in suicides outside of physician-assisted suicides. I think that what we are saying to too many people is: You are not needed.

Again, this undermines what I think we are all about and what healthcare should be all about.

I think of the movie, ``It's a Wonderful Life,'' which so many people watch every Christmastime. Mr. Potter says to George Bailey: ``George, you are worth more dead than alive.''

Is that really who we want to be?

As a resident in Chicago in the 1980s, one of our responsibilities was to do physical exams on everyone admitted to the hospital regardless of what they were admitted for. I can remember a doctor coming up to me and saying: We just admitted our first AIDS patient, but you don't have to go see him.

And this is a time when people didn't know what was going on, what was causing this, how it was being spread. And I thought that was wrong and I went in anyway to examine this patient. I had to go in like it was a lunar landing because there was so much uncertainty about what was causing death to so many people. This patient was very sick. I learned so much from this one patient because there were so many things wrong, but it didn't compare to what I learned when I finished that exam and he looked at me and said: You just examined me more than anyone.

I have never forgotten, throughout my entire medical career, the value of human life and what it must feel like to be discarded. He died the next day. I still know his name. And he taught me a valuable lesson on his very last day of life: Healthcare is about cures, it is about caring, it is about compassion, and society should be about the same thing, and the ideal that every person has value until their very last breath.

I am pleased to say that the President's budget addresses this issue, and we will, too, here in the House because you and your loved ones matter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Buddy LaRosa for his countless years of service to the city of Cincinnati, having touched the lives of so many. Recently, West Elder Street near Findlay Market in Cincinnati was renamed Buddy LaRosa Way.

The exact spot was picked because, according to Buddy, that is the exact spot where he sold shopping bags for 3 cents when he was 10 years old. This was the beginning of his successful pizza empire, LaRosa's Pizza, a Cincinnati favorite. But great pizza isn't Buddy's only contribution to the Cincinnati area, not by a long shot.

Buddy is one of the most generous people I have had the pleasure of knowing through my life. He has dedicated

his time and energy, making many contributions supporting the people of our community and changing their lives. Naming Buddy LaRosa Way is a reminder of how the city of Cincinnati has been forever positively changed by Buddy LaRosa's heart and soul. Thank you, Buddy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Major General David Wilmot on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America.

During Major General Wilmot's many years of service in the Army, including his most recent assignment as the Deputy Surgeon General for the Army National Guard, Assistant Surgeon General for Quality and Safety, and Deputy Chief of Staff, Quality and Safety, Office of the Surgeon General of the Army, he has proved a top leader in medical readiness, shaping readiness, health care, and personnel issues for the Army National Guard.

In our current time of needed growth and development of the United States Armed Forces, medical readiness and personal is more necessary than ever, to ensure our warfighters are properly equipped for the job our country sends them to do. Major General Wilmot's experience has truly been a service to this country, and those who fight for its freedom.

Congratulations to Major General Wilmot on his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Colonel Steven Owens on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America.

Colonel Owens' many years of service include a deployment as the ARNG Medical Advisor for the Multi-National Corps--Iraq Surgeon's Office, Baghdad, Iraq, where he was hand-selected to be 1st Corps Surgeon's Liaison with the Iraqi Ground Forces Command Surgeon and Medical Trainer for COIN.

I have had the pleasure of serving under Colonel Owens, in his assignment as Deputy Director for Reserve Affairs and Sr. ARNG Advisor at the Office of the Surgeon General at the Defense Health Headquarters, and have greatly appreciated his leadership and expertise.

Congratulations to Colonel Owens, to his wife Lonna, on a new chapter, and I thank him for his mentorship and friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Colonel Damon Mathis on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America.

A recipient of the Expert Field Medical Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the British Parachutist Badge, the Army Staff Badge, and a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, Colonel Mathis is a proven leader in military health.

I've had the pleasure to serve with Colonel Mathis, in his assignment as Director of Reserve Affairs in the Office of the Surgeon General, and have greatly appreciated his leadership and expertise.

Congratulations to Colonel Mathis, and to his wife Jane, on a new chapter, and thank him for his mentorship and friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Major General Margaret Wilmoth on her retirement from the United States Army, and to thank her for her dedicated service to the United States of America.

A true leader and trailblazer in her field, Major General Wilmoth served as the first nurse and female commanding general of a medical brigade with responsibility for wartime readiness of all the U.S. Army Reserve medical assets in the Southeastern United States, including Puerto Rico.

A recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Expert Field Medical Badge, and the `9A' Proficiency Designator in Medical-Surgical Nursing awarded by The Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, Major General Wilmoth has been a true leader and expert in the U.S. Army Reserves, and in shaping military health care.

Congratulations to Major General Wilmoth on her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in gratitude for the hard work and commitment of Lieutenant Colonel Vincent B. Myers, who has served as the Medical Army Legislative Liaison to my office for the past two years.

A Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and an experienced health care provider, Vince has been essential to my office and the House Armed Services Committee, as we work toward the goal of enhancing medical readiness and providing top care for our service members.

On May 11, Vince will continue his committed service to the United States as he takes command of McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis, Virginia. I know that in this role, Vince will serve with conviction and honor.

I congratulate Vince, and thank him for his work and friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues in the Ohio delegation, to congratulate Congressman Steve Stivers on his promotion from colonel to brigadier general of the Ohio National Guard.

Ohio is a State rich in history and a long list of American leaders who call it home. Steve's promotion marks another milestone in our great State's history.

Steve Stivers, a native of Ripley, Ohio, and proud Ohio State Buckeye, is the first brigadier general since Rutherford B. Hayes to represent Ohio in Congress.

Rutherford B. Hayes represented my district, the Second District of Ohio, from 1865 to 1867, before going on to serve as Governor of Ohio and then President of the United States.

On behalf of the Ohio delegation, we offer congratulations and our gratitude for Steve's service.

Mr. Speaker, Steve Stivers' leadership adds to our State's storied legacy of servant leaders and citizen soldiers. Our State and our Nation are fortunate that Steve Stivers has dedicated his life to defending the cause of freedom both in the ranks of the National Guard and in the Halls of Congress.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, my manager's amendment makes a number of minor technical changes to the reported version of the bill and would significantly reduce discretionary costs while maintaining the overall intent of the bill.

The biggest change that would be made in the manager's amendment is the removal of section 11 of the bill, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to track a number of hiring effectiveness metrics.

That section alone scored at $6 million because the Congressional Budget Office expected that the VA would have to hire an additional employee in each Veterans Integrated Service Network in order to gather that information. I disagree with that assertion and I intend to continue working on that provision to, hopefully, include it in future legislation in some form.

In addition, the manager's amendment would authorize but not require the VA to track and match qualified job applicants for vacant positions using the recruiting database that the bill would establish. The CBO estimated that the VA would have to hire up to 40 additional employees with an average compensation of $100,000 per year to accomplish that task, meaning that provision in total would cost $19 million. Again, I disagree with the assertion that such a task could not be accomplished using existing staff.

The Subcommittee on Health, which I am proud to chair, is holding an oversight hearing next week where I intend

to ask the VA how the Department would utilize the recruiting database and whether it would entail additional employees. Should it appear that the VA would not use the recruiting database to identify qualified candidates for open positions in a timely manner and to promptly fill prolonged vacancies, I will certainly reconsider mandating that in future legislation.

The manager's amendment would also stipulate that the additional human resources training that the bill would require be done virtually. Finally, it would extend the timeline to implement the executive management fellowship program from 90 days to 1 year, which would provide the VA additional time to set up this important new leadership development program and would extend the GAO reporting deadline from 1 to 2 years, which would provide the GAO additional time to complete their investigation into the VA succession planning.

Mr. Chair, I urge the adoption of the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Meng's amendment, which would stipulate that the annual determination of Veterans Health Administration staffing shortages must include at least five clinical occupations and five nonclinical occupations within each VA medical center.

This amendment rightfully recognizes that some VA medical centers may have staffing challenges that extend beyond just 10 occupations and provides sufficient flexibility for this reporting requirement--which triggers the VA's direct hiring authority--to accommodate that by reporting more than five clinical and five nonclinical occupations, as needed.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment. I thank Representative Meng for submitting it.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Representative Sewell's amendment, which would authorize the Secretary in selecting employees to participate in the executive management fellowship program established by section 3 of the bill, to provide a preference for employees in rural areas.

According to VA's Office of Rural Health, there are currently 3 million veterans living in rural communities across the country who rely on the VA healthcare system for their care.

It is critical that VA medical facilities in rural areas are given access to leadership development opportunities like the executive management fellowship program so that rural veterans benefit from them.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I thank Representative Sewell for submitting it.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to Representative Hanabusa's amendment, which would strike section 6 of the bill.

Section 6 would allow the VA to noncompetitively reappoint a former VA employee to a position not more than one grade higher than their former position, as long as the employee left voluntarily within the prior 2 years, had a satisfactory performance record, and maintained necessary licensures and credentials.

The former employees who would be helped by this section had performed admirably, left voluntarily, and gone on to gain relevant education or experience that the VA needs. They should be encouraged to come back to the VA and put their new skills to work for our veterans, not required to go through a lengthy competitive selection process at the VA for the second time.

Striking this provision would deprive the VA of an authority that could be used to address access and other challenges by recruiting high-performing former employees back to VA employment.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in opposing this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Buck's amendment, which would prevent former VA political appointees from receiving nonpolitical, competitively selected positions pursuant to section 6 of the bill without going through the proper competitive selection process.

This amendment would prevent political appointees from inappropriately burrowing in across VA, and I am in full support of it.

I thank Representative Buck for submitting this amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Shea- Porter's amendment, which would require the VA to ensure that the recruiting database established by section 7 of the bill includes a list of open mental health positions.

Though I am glad to report that, as of January, only 3,469 of VA's 45,360 vacant positions were specific to mental health, it is critical that the VA closely track to mental health vacancies on an ongoing basis so that they can be prioritized and filled to prevent any disruptions in care to our most vulnerable veterans.

I am fully supportive of this amendment and grateful to Representative Shea-Porter for submitting it.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Brownley's amendment, which would stipulate that the Government Accountability Office report on VA succession planning should include an assessment of succession planning at VA medical centers, domiciliary facilities, outpatient clinics, community-based outpatient clinics, and vet centers.

I appreciate this clarifying amendment and my friend and colleague Representative Brownley, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, for submitting it.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Representative Welch's amendment, which would ensure that the GAO report on VA succession planning includes an analysis of succession planning in rural areas.

Rural facilities undoubtedly face unique challenges in recruiting and retaining employees and in planning effectively to ensure leadership continuity as employees retire or depart. I am glad that, with the adoption of this amendment, GAO will be reviewing these issues specifically and will be able to offer recommendations as to how VA can improve succession planning in rural areas where approximately 40 percent of our veterans reside.

I appreciate Representative Welch for submitting this amendment, and I ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Representative Gottheimer's amendments which would ensure that veterans who are recent graduates and/or recipients of the

post-9/11 GI Bill are also eligible for excepted service appointments under section 12 of the bill.

As a veteran and as the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, there are few things I support as strongly as assisting veterans in seeking and receiving employment opportunities, particularly in the Federal Government.

The skill sets and commitment to service that veterans display while in uniform often make them particularly suited to government work once they transition to civilian life. The adoption of this amendment would provide yet another tool to support veterans looking to continue their service to our Nation, and I am grateful to Representative Gottheimer for submitting it.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of Representative Hanabusa's amendment, which would tweak the report on exit surveys the VA is required to submit in section 13 of the bill to stipulate the VA provide the total number of employees who voluntarily separated from VA service and the percentage of those who took an exit survey.

This information will be very helpful for Congress to receive in order to track how many employees are choosing to voluntarily leave the VA and are taking advantage of the opportunity to complete an exit survey prior to their departure.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I am grateful to Representative Hanabusa for submitting it.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Meng's amendment, which would encourage military medical professionals who are transitioning out of the Armed Forces to seek employment within the Veterans Health Administration.

Wherever possible, the VA should be filling vacant positions at VA medical facilities with eligible, qualified veterans. And I am fully supportive of any amendment like this one that recognizes the highly specialized skills that many veterans gained while in uniform, skills that, in this case, could be used in service to fellow veterans by addressing access to care challenges across the country.

I am grateful to Representative Meng for this important amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative Bost's amendment, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a plan to hire directors at each VA medical center that lacks a permanent director.

Twenty-five percent of current VA medical center directors are eligible to retire, and the VA testified last year that it can take more than 6 months and multiple reannouncements to recruit new VA medical center directors.

The VA must begin planning now to ensure that leadership at VA medical centers across the country remain stable and that medical center director vacancies are closely monitored and prioritized.

The text of this amendment passed the House last year with unanimous support, and I am grateful to Representative Bost for submitting this amendment again this year to H.R. 1367.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Representative O'Rourke's amendment, which would allow the VA to offer physicians conditional job offers 2 years prior to the completion of their residency, and also require VA recruiters or other officials to visit each teaching institution with a residency program at least once a

year. It is a great idea and one that I greatly appreciate.

The VA's existing workforce is increasingly retirement-eligible, and, historically, the VA has performed poorly in comparison to other Federal agencies when it comes to hiring younger employees.

By creating a pipeline of young, up-and-coming physicians willing to practice in VA medical facilities and committed to VA service, this amendment would help ensure that the VA healthcare system is fully staffed to care for our veterans for years to come.

The text of this amendment passed the House last year as an amendment to H.R. 5620, and I am grateful to Representative O'Rourke for submitting it as an amendment to H.R. 1367 today.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert any extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 1367.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1367, to improve the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit and retain employees.

VA's mission of honoring and serving our Nation's veterans is second to none in the Federal Government, and a high-quality, high-performing workforce is key to VA's ability to successfully execute on that mission.

H.R. 1367 contains a number of provisions that would strengthen VA's ability to identify staffing shortages, recruit employees to fill vacant positions, quickly onboard new hires, and retain high-performing workers across the country. It also contains provisions that would improve leadership and accountability throughout VA and increase the number of veterans in the Federal workforce.

To assist VA in identifying and addressing local staffing deficiencies, this bill would modify the annual determination of staffing shortages to include five clinical occupations and five nonclinical occupations for each VA medical center. Staffing needs can vary significantly from facility to facility, even within the same State, and create a variety of delays, backlogs, and other challenges for veterans.

This provision would allow VA to use this existing reporting tool, which dates back to the 2014 Choice Act, to target a total of 10 occupations at each VA medical center and use VA's existing direct hire authority to expeditiously address shortages for those occupations.

To increase leadership development opportunities for emerging leaders and encourage the dissemination of best practices between and among VA and private sector, the bill would establish an executive management program to allow eligible VA and private sector employees the opportunity to take 1-year fellowship positions in either comparable private sector entities or VA, respectively. This idea was brought to us by a veteran participating in the joint Veterans of Foreign Wars- Student Veterans of America legislative fellowship program and would mirror a successful fellowship model used by the White House and the State Department.

To increase accountability for senior VA decisionmakers, the bill would require annual performance plans for VA political appointees, similar to the annual performance plans that are required for Senior Executive Service employees.

Like SES employees, political appointees perform at the very highest levels and play critical roles in setting and achieving high profile policies and priorities. It is only appropriate that they too be held accountable for their performance.

To incentivize the hiring of veterans across the Federal Government, the bill would change the service requirement for reservists and guardsmen to be eligible for veterans' preference from 180 days of consecutive Active-Duty service to 180 days of cumulative Active-Duty service, and expand those considered preference eligible to include all retired servicemembers.

Veterans gain a variety of skills during their time in uniform and are often

uniquely suited to Federal employment. In recognition of this, some form of veterans' preference has been in place since the Civil War. By modernizing this important benefit today, we can bring needed skill sets to the Federal workforce and promote employment opportunities for veterans, a win-win if there ever was one.

To encourage former VA employees who left VA service to gain relevant education or experience and then return to the VA, the bill would allow the VA to noncompetitively reappoint a former employee to a position not more than 1 grade higher than their former position.

I believe we must do everything possible to encourage former employees to come back and work at the VA and reward them for furthering themselves and using their new skills to benefit veterans.

In order to be eligible for reappointment under this authority, the former employee must have voluntarily, within the prior 2 years, maintained a satisfactory performance record while at the VA, and retained any necessary licensures or credentials.

To assist the VA in identifying and prioritizing vacancies, the bill would require the VA to establish a recruiting database listing each vacant position that the VA determines is critical to the VA's mission, is difficult to fill, or both.

Also, the bill would authorize and encourage the VA to track qualified applicants for vacant positions and use the recruiting database and the qualified applicant pool to quickly fill vacancies that have gone unfilled for a prolonged time.

To ensure the VA human resources professionals have a thorough understanding of the VA's unique hiring authorities, the bill would require Veterans Health Administration HR employees to receive regular, ongoing training.

The VA healthcare system benefits from direct hiring authorities for clinical personnel under title 38, United States Code. However, these hiring authorities are unique to the VA and can be complex and difficult for HR employees to understand and work with, which increases the likelihood that those authorities go underused and HR professionals experience burnout.

This provision would support those professionals in their important work while ensuring that veterans benefit as much as possible from the special hiring authorities that Congress has granted the VA in statute.

To encourage highly skilled employees wishing to advance in their career at the VA without taking on a management role, this bill would require the VA to establish a promotional track for technical experts that does not require transition to a managerial position. This is a commonsense provision that would increase the VA's ability to retain employees in highly technical positions who want to remain at the VA and continue moving forward in their careers, but are either uninterested in or ill-suited to becoming a manager.

To increase the understanding of the VA's succession planning efforts, the bill would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on succession planning at each VA medical facility, as well as within the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery Administration.

Earlier this week, the VA confirmed that 80 percent of current Veterans Integrated Service Network directors and 25 percent of current VA Medical Center directors are eligible to retire. Last year, the VA testified that it can take more than 6 months and multiple reannouncements to fill these important positions in both rural and major metropolitan areas.

Effective succession planning is critical to ensuring stable leadership and to identifying and developing emerging leaders who are ready, willing, and able to step up when existing directors or other managers retire or depart. I look forward to reviewing the results of GAO's work to see what further improvements can be made in this area.

To improve recruitment and retention of younger employees, the bill would require the VA to allow for excepted service appointments leading to conversion to career or career-conditional employment for students and recent graduates.

VA's existing workforce is aging and, as I mentioned just a moment ago, increasingly retirement-eligible. Unfortunately, the VA has historically performed poorly in comparison to other Federal agencies when it comes to hiring younger employees, which could put the VA's future at risk. I am hopeful that this provision will increase the VA's ability to build a pipeline of young talent.

Finally, to increase the VA's understanding of why departing employees choose to leave the VA and, in turn, how the VA could improve in order to retain other employees, this bill would require the VA to develop and deploy a standardized, anonymous exit survey process. The VA has an existing survey process but it is underutilized, with just 30 percent of all clinical employees completing it prior to their departure over the last 5 years, according to a GAO report issued last year.

Factors that contribute to employees voluntarily leaving VA service cannot be addressed unless they are identified, and this provision would help us do that.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the future of the VA, our Nation's second largest bureaucracy, depends on the VA's ability to effectively and efficiently recruit and retain highly qualified and motivated employees in towns and cities across this country. In an increasingly competitive market with an increasingly retirement-eligible workforce, the stakes are simply too high for the VA to continue to struggle to hire the employees it needs.

While more remains to be done to simplify and shorten the VA's hiring process and strengthen the VA's ability to bring the very best professionals onboard to serve our veterans, H.R. 1367 is the first step to ensuring a sufficient VA workforce is available to veterans for generations to come.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

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

House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and

Government Reform,

Washington, DC, March 10, 2017.

Hon. David P. Roe,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I write concerning H.R. 1367, ``to

improve the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to

hire and retain physicians and other employees of the

Department of Veterans Affairs; and for other purposes.'' As

you know, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs received an

original referral and the Committee on Oversight and

Government Reform a secondary referral when the bill was

introduced on March 6, 2017, I recognize and appreciate your

desire to bring this legislation before the House of

Representatives in an expeditious manner, and accordingly,

the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will forego

action on the bill.

The Committee takes this action with our mutual

understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 1367 at

this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject

matter contained in this or similar legislation. Further, I

request your support for the appointment of conferees from

the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during any

House-Senate conference convened on this or related

legislation.

Finally, I would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters

on this matter be included in the bill report filed by the

Committee on Veterans' Affairs, as well as in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration, to

memorialize our understanding.

Sincerely,

Jason Chaffetz,

Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to take a second here to thank the ranking member for his hard work and putting forth many of the ideas that are in this bill and working with us, and thank him for his service to our country in the military and the high rank that he achieved, and bringing those experiences to us.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), who has been a very vocal supporter of our veterans every step of the way.

Mr. Chair, once again, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 1367, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.