[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4229 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4229

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
               of Veterans Affairs a Bonus Review Board.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2007

   Mr. Hall of New York (for himself, Mr. Filner, Mr. Space, and Mr. 
    Kagen) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
               of Veterans Affairs a Bonus Review Board.

    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 ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Management Accountability Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BONUS REVIEW BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--Chapter 7 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 713. Bonus Review Board
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department a Bonus Review 
Board, which shall review proposed ratings, bonuses, and pay 
adjustments for covered employees of the Department and make 
recommendations to the Secretary with respect to the award of such 
ratings, bonuses, and pay adjustments.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--(1) The performance review board of the 
Department shall submit to the Bonus Review Board a proposal for any 
rating, bonus, or pay adjustment recommended by the performance review 
board for a covered employee at least 30 days before the Secretary may 
award the rating, bonus, or pay adjustment.
    ``(2) Not later than 14 days after receiving a proposal submitted 
under paragraph (1), the Bonus Review Board shall meet to review the 
proposal and submit to the Secretary the recommendation of the Bonus 
Review Board with respect to whether or not the proposed rating, bonus, 
or pay adjustment should be awarded. In making a recommendation with 
respect to a proposed rating, bonus, or pay adjustment, the Bonus 
Review Board shall take into consideration the performance of the 
Department during the fiscal year preceding the year in which the 
recommendation is made, especially the performance of the Department 
with respect to claims backlog and waiting times for appointments at 
Department medical facilities.
    ``(3) The Secretary may not award a rating, bonus, or pay 
adjustment to any covered employee until the Secretary has received a 
recommendation from the Bonus Review Board with respect to that rating, 
bonus, or pay adjustment.
    ``(c) Membership.--(1) The Bonus Review Board shall be composed of 
six members as follows:
            ``(A) Two members appointed by the chairman of the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            ``(B) Two members appointed by the chairman of the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
            ``(C) One member appointed by the ranking member of the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            ``(D) One member appointed by the ranking member of the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
    ``(2) Each member of the Bonus Review Board shall--
            ``(A) not be or have ever been an employee of the 
        Department;
            ``(B) shall not be a relative of any employee of the 
        Department; and
            ``(C) have business experience and demonstrated expertise 
        in managing human and financial resources.
    ``(3) Each member of the Bonus Review Board shall be appointed for 
a term of three years.
    ``(4) A vacancy in the Bonus Review Board shall be filled in the 
manner in which the original appointment was made.
    ``(5)(A) Members of the Bonus Review Board shall serve without 
compensation.
    ``(B) Members of the Bonus Review Board shall be allowed reasonable 
and necessary travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, at rates authorized for persons serving intermittently in 
the Government service in accordance with the provisions of subchapter 
I of chapter 57 of title 5 while away from their homes or regular 
places of business in the performance of the responsibilities of the 
advisory committee.
    ``(6) The Bonus Review Board shall meet at least once annually.
    ``(d) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Bonus 
Review Board.
    ``(e) Covered Employee.--For the purposes of this section, the term 
`covered employee' means an employee of the Department who--
            ``(1) is employed in a Senior Executive Service position;
            ``(2) is appointed by the President, by and with the 
        consent of the Senate; or
            ``(3) holds a position which has been excepted from the 
        competitive service (as defined by section 2102 of title 5) by 
        reason of its confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, 
        or policy-advocating character.
    ``(f) Annual Report.--Not later than February 1 of each year, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the bonuses awarded to 
covered employees during the preceding calendar year. Each such report 
shall contain for the year covered by the report--
            ``(1) the name of each person who served as a member of the 
        Bonus Review Board;
            ``(2) the number of bonus proposals submitted to the Bonus 
        Review Board;
            ``(3) the number of proposed bonuses that the Bonus Review 
        Board recommended that the Secretary award to covered 
        employees;
            ``(4) the number of bonuses the Secretary awarded to 
        covered employees; and
            ``(5) the name of each covered employee who received a 
        bonus and the amount of that bonus.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``713. Bonus Review Board.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--Section 713 of title 38, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to any rating, 
bonus, or pay adjustment awarded by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
after the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
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