[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7141-H7142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VA HOSPITALS ESTABLISHING LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE ACT
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5864) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
to establish qualifications for the human resources positions within
the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5864
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 ``VA Hospitals Establishing
Leadership Performance Act''.
SEC. 2. QUALIFICATIONS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES POSITIONS WITHIN
THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Establishment of Qualifications.--Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
(1) establish qualifications for each human resources
position within the Veterans Health Administration of the
Department of Veterans Affairs;
(2) establish standardized performance metrics for each
such position; and
(3) submit to Congress a report containing the
qualifications and standardized performance metrics
established under paragraphs (1) and (2).
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the
establishment of the qualifications and performance metrics
under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate a report containing--
(1) a description of the implementation of such
qualifications and performance metrics; and
(2) an assessment of the quality of such qualifications and
performance metrics.
SEC. 3. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be
appropriated.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
{time} 1915
General Leave
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5864, the VA Hospitals
Establishing Leadership Performance Act, or the VA HELP Act.
The significant recruitment and retention challenges facing the VA
healthcare system are nothing new. One of my priorities as chairman has
been to help the VA address those challenges and attract high-quality
clinicians and support staff to VA medical facilities. To that end, I
have worked to see two major pieces of legislation--the VA Choice and
Quality Employment Act, and the VA Mission Act--signed into law this
Congress include extensive improvements to the VA's hiring authorities.
However, those improvements will not be nearly as effective as they
could be if the HR professionals that are administering them aren't
operating at the top of their game. Unfortunately, the committee has
found several instances where it appeared that some HR staff working in
VA medical facilities had substandard education and professional
backgrounds, including one HR director at a VA medical center who
lacked both a college degree and relevant work experience.
To prevent that, the VA HELP Act would require the VA to establish
qualification standards and standardized performance metrics for HR
within the VHA. To ensure transparency and to aid the committee in our
ongoing oversight efforts, it would also require the VA to provide
Congress with a copy of those qualification standards and performance
metrics, as well as require the Government Accountability Office to
conduct an assessment of them.
I wholeheartedly believe that this bill will result in better staffed
VA medical facilities, and, therefore, a
[[Page H7142]]
more accessible VA healthcare system for our Nation's heroes.
I am grateful to the sponsor of the VA HELP Act, my colleague and
friend, Congressman Mike Bost of Illinois. Mike is the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, a tireless
advocate for veterans and their families, and, I might add, a veteran
himself.
Mr. Speaker, I thank him for his leadership on this bill. I urge my
colleagues to join me in supporting it, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5864, as amended, the VA
Hospitals Establishing Leadership Performance Act, or VA HELP Act.
Due to nationwide shortages, nuanced certification and licensing
requirements, and complex position descriptions, human resource
professionals working in the healthcare industry must possess a unique
set of skills and qualifications.
Human resource professionals working within the VA must further
develop their skills while learning how to leverage the many hiring
initiatives, budgetary concerns, and Federal resources in a way that
can compete with the private sector's financial incentives.
The VA HELP Act is an effort to assist the VA in finding the unique
talent it needs to fill these health-specific human resource officers
by requiring the VA to establish qualifications and standardized
performance metrics for each human resource position within VHA.
By further defining the human resource positions within VHA and
standardizing performance metrics, the VA will be able to more easily
to attract, access, and retain quality human resource officers.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Bost), the chairman of the Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, who also is a Marine veteran who has
drunk from the Devil Dog fountain at Belleau Wood.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. As all of us here know
today, the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs is the care
for those who have borne the battle.
When our heroes transition from the military, they deserve to have
access to quality healthcare and services. Unfortunately, the VA
continues to fall short on the promises, due, in part, to failures in
human resource offices. This issue hit close to home for me after the
VA National Center for Patient Safety surveyed the Marion VA Medical
Center in my district.
The Marion survey showed a decline in key factors, such as
communication between management and staff, and reporting problems to
management. The Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations staff then visited Marion in order to get a firsthand
look at the issues at the facility.
During that site visit, multiple employees raised concerns about poor
management, poor communication, distrust between leadership and
management, and the lack of accountability. Despite several efforts to
encourage the VA headquarters leadership to address these problems,
limited actions have been taken, and my office continues to receive
complaints.
The common thread throughout has been the issue in the human resource
department. HR management is a critical part of delivering quality
healthcare. HR is responsible for recruiting and retaining highly
qualified professionals, and the current status quo within the VHA's HR
offices cannot continue.
That is why I introduced H.R. 5854, the VA HELP Act, with
Representative Sinema. This bipartisan, straightforward legislation
instructs the VA Secretary to establish qualifications for HR positions
within the VHA, and to set performance metrics for these positions.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members of the House to support H.R. 5864 to
ensure that our Nation's veterans are being provided the best possible
care from VA employees. I thank the chairman of the committee, Chairman
Roe, and Ranking Member Takano for supporting this.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 5864, as
amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all
Members to support H.R. 5864, as amended, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5864, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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