[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 96 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S4207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2049. Mr. JOHNSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1085. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NOMINATING A PERMANENT 
                   INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) There are 4 Presidentially-appointed Inspector General 
     vacancies for which a nomination is not pending before the 
     Senate.
       (2) It is vital that Offices of Inspectors General remain 
     independent.
       (3) In the absence of a permanent Inspector General, an 
     Office of Inspector General is run by an acting Inspector 
     General who, no matter how qualified or well-intentioned, is 
     not granted the same protections afforded to an Inspector 
     General who is confirmed by the Senate, as the acting 
     Inspector General--
       (A) is not truly independent;
       (B) may be removed by the head of the agency at any time;
       (C) only serves temporarily and does not drive the policy 
     of the Office; and
       (D) is at a greater risk of compromising the work of the 
     Office to appease the agency or the President.
       (4) One of the current Presidentially-appointed Inspector 
     General vacancies is the Inspector General of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs, which has been vacant since December 31, 
     2013.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the President should nominate a permanent Inspector General 
     of the Department of Veterans Affairs not later than 30 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act.
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