<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="119" measure-type="hr" measure-number="472" measure-id="id119hr472" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2025-01-16" update-date="2025-03-01">
        <title>Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025</title>
        <summary summary-id="id119hr472v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2025-03-01">
            <action-date>2025-01-16</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[<p><strong>Restore Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability Act of 2025 or the Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill modifies personnel action procedures regarding certain employees and executives of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).&nbsp;</p><p>The bill authorizes the VA to remove from civil service, demote, or suspend VA employees that are supervisors or managers if the VA determines by substantial evidence that the performance or misconduct of such individual warrants such action. This authority does not apply to certain appointees or individuals in their probationary or trial period.</p><p>Supervisors or managers who are subject to a removal, demotion, or suspension under this bill are entitled to (1) advance notice of the action and supporting evidence, (2) representation by an attorney or representative, and (3) grieve the action in accordance with an internal grievance process.</p><p>The bill also provides protections from removal, demotion, or suspension for supervisor or managers who are&nbsp;whistleblowers or are seeking corrective action for an alleged prohibited personnel practice such as discrimination.</p><p>The bill also modifies the procedures to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees or senior executives based on performance or misconduct, specifically by requiring the VA to determine by substantial evidence that the performance or misconduct of the individual warrants such removal, demotion, or suspension. Such procedures must apply retroactively, beginning on the date of enactment of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and&nbsp;Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (June 23, 2017).</p>]]></summary-text>
        </summary>
    </item>
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        <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
        <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
        <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
        <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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