[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5699-H5700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION VETERAN TRANSITION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 
                                  2016

  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5957) to include disabled veteran leave in the personnel 
management system of the Federal Aviation Administration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5957

       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 ``Federal Aviation 
     Administration Veteran Transition Improvement Act of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF DISABLED VETERAN LEAVE IN FEDERAL 
                   AVIATION ADMINISTRATION PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 
                   SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--Section 40122(g)(2) of title 49, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``; and'' and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (2) in subparagraph (I)(iii), by striking the period at the 
     end and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(J) subject to paragraph (4) of this subsection, section 
     6329, relating to disabled veteran leave.''.
       (b) Certification of Leave.--Section 40122(g) of such title 
     is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
       ``(4) Certification of disabled veteran leave.--In order to 
     verify that leave credited to an employee pursuant to 
     paragraph (2)(J) is used for treating a service-connected 
     disability, that employee shall, notwithstanding section 
     6329(c) of title 5, submit to the Assistant Administrator for 
     Human Resource Management of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration certification, in such form and manner as the 
     Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may 
     prescribe, that the employee used that leave for purposes of 
     being furnished treatment for that disability by a health 
     care provider.''.
       (c) Application.--The amendments made by this section shall 
     apply with respect to any employee of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration hired on or after the date that is one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (d) Policies and Procedures.--Not later than 270 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
     the Federal Aviation Administration shall prescribe policies 
     and procedures to carry out the amendments made by this 
     section that are comparable, to the maximum extent 
     practicable, to the regulations prescribed by the Office of 
     Personnel Management under section 6329 of title 5, United 
     States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Zeldin) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 5957.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5957.
  When Congress passed the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act last 
year, it inadvertently excluded new FAA employees from coverage under a 
new sick leave system. This bill corrects that omission.
  Mr. Speaker, one-third of veterans who served after September 11 
report having a service-connected disability, with more than two-thirds 
of those disabilities rating 30 percent or higher.
  There are more than 35,000 veterans in my district alone, many of 
whom have the skill sets and background in aviation necessary to 
succeed in highly technical FAA positions. This bill will help ensure 
that a veteran's service to our Nation does not become a barrier to 
future employment.
  I want to thank Aviation Subcommittee Chairman LoBiondo and 
Subcommittee Ranking Member Larsen for their leadership and bipartisan 
partnership on this simple, yet important fix to remove an unnecessary 
barrier to employment for our Nation's veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5957.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5957, the Federal Aviation 
Administration Veteran Transition Improvement Act of 2016.
  This bill, introduced by my colleague and Aviation Subcommittee 
Ranking Member Rick Larsen, a distinguished Member, will provide newly 
hired disabled veterans at the FAA with the same entitlement to leave 
that disabled veterans receive at other Federal agencies. I am also 
proud to be a sponsor of this bill.
  H.R. 5957 will close an important loophole and it will create parity 
between FAA-employed veterans with certain service-connected 
disabilities and veterans at other Federal agencies.
  This bill is fair, it is necessary, and it is the right thing to do 
for servicemen and -women who have bravely served this great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the very 
distinguished gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Larsen).
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of 
H.R. 5957, the FAA Veteran Transition Improvement Act of 2016.
  Last November, after passing the House and the Senate by unanimous 
consent, the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act was signed into law. 
That legislation recognizes that no one who has sustained an injury due 
to military service should have to choose between earning a paycheck or 
receiving health care.
  Specifically, that act provides up to 104 hours of upfront, disabled 
veteran leave during an employee's first 12 months on the job. The 
Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act will apply to anyone hired on or 
after November 5 of this year.
  However, that legislation only applies to Federal civilian personnel 
covered under title 5 leave provisions. Consequently, those not covered 
under title 5--including employees of the FAA--are not able to use 
these leave benefits.
  Now, in my own State of Washington, there are more than 650 veterans 
who work at the FAA; and across the country, more than 15,000 veterans 
work for the FAA. From 2012 to 2016, the FAA hired between 150 to 350 
veterans each year--men and women who have served our country but may 
be unable to get the health care that they need. So in an effort to 
expand these benefits to disabled veterans hired by the FAA, 
Representative LoBiondo joined me in introducing this bipartisan bill 
earlier this month.

[[Page H5700]]

  H.R. 5957 will ensure that newly hired disabled veteran FAA employees 
receive the same upfront disabled leave that personnel at other 
government agencies will receive. This legislation will help ensure 
that no newly hired disabled veteran FAA employee is faced with the 
choice between earning a paycheck or receiving health care, and 
finishes the laudable work that was started by the Wounded Warriors 
Federal Leave Act.
  I want to thank all the advocacy organizations who support this 
legislation, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American 
Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, American Federation of 
Government Employees, the Federal Managers Association, the FAA 
Managers Association, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, General 
Aviation Manufacturers Association, and the National Air Traffic 
Controllers Association.
  I also want to be sure to thank Representative LoBiondo for working 
with me on this important legislation. Lastly, I want to thank and 
recognize Senator Hirono, who has introduced companion legislation in 
the Senate, and I look forward to continue working to move this 
important bill past the finish line.
  Last week, this bipartisan bill was unanimously reported out of the 
committee, and today I ask for this Chamber's support as well. Let's 
not keep these veterans waiting.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 5957.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5957.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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