[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1117 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1117

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the authority of the 
   Secretary of Veterans Affairs to remove senior executives of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for performance or misconduct to include 
  removal of certain other employees of the Department, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 28, 2015

Mr. Johnson (for himself, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Lee, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Daines, 
 Mr. Flake, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Toomey, Ms. Collins, 
 Mr. Vitter, and Mr. McCain) introduced the following bill; which was 
     read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the authority of the 
   Secretary of Veterans Affairs to remove senior executives of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for performance or misconduct to include 
  removal of certain other employees of the Department, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Ensuring Veteran Safety Through 
Accountability Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO 
              REMOVE SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS FOR PERFORMANCE OR MISCONDUCT TO INCLUDE CERTAIN 
              OTHER EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 713 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in the matter before subparagraph (A), 
                        in the first sentence, by striking ``senior 
                        executive position'' both places it appears and 
                        inserting ``covered position''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``in 
                        paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``in paragraph 
                        (3) employed in a senior executive position at 
                        the Department'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following 
                new paragraph (2):
    ``(2) For purposes of this section, a covered position is--
            ``(A) a senior executive position; or
            ``(B) a position listed in section 7401 of this title that 
        is not a senior executive position.'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``under subsection 
        (a)(2)'' and inserting ``under subsection (a)(1)(B)'';
            (3) in subsection (c), by striking ``senior executive 
        position'' and inserting ``covered position'';
            (4) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ``The procedures 
        under section 7543(b) of title 5'' and inserting ``Sections 
        7461(b) and 7462 of this title and sections 7503, 7513, and 
        7543(b) of title 5''; and
            (5) in subsection (g)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(C) an employee of the Department employed on a 
                full-time basis under a permanent appointment in a 
                position listed in section 7401 of this title (other 
                than interns and residents appointed pursuant to 
                section 7406 of this title) who is not in a senior 
                executive position.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Subchapter V of chapter 74 of such 
title is amended--
            (1) in section 7461(b)(1), by striking ``If the'' and 
        inserting ``Except as provided in sections 713 of this title, 
        if the''; and
            (2) in section 7462--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking 
                ``Disciplinary'' and inserting ``Except as provided in 
                section 713 of this title, the Disciplinary''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``In any 
                case'' and inserting ``Except as provided in section 
                713 of this title, in any case''.
    (c) Technical Corrections.--Section 713 of such title is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), in the first sentence, by 
        striking ``of Veterans Affairs''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``Committees on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives'' 
        and inserting ``Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives''.
    (d) Clerical Amendment.--
            (1) Section heading.--The heading for section 713 of such 
        title is amended by striking ``Senior executives: removal based 
        on performance or misconduct'' and inserting ``Removal of 
        senior executives and certain other employees based on 
        performance or misconduct''.
            (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amended by striking the 
        item relating to section 713 and inserting the following new 
        item:

``713. Removal of senior executives and certain other employees based 
                            on performance or misconduct.''.
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