I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6682 

To amend titles 38 and 5, United States Code, to ensure that certain 

employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs are subject to the 

same removal, demotion, and suspension policies as other employees 

of the Federal Government, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 

Mr. LAMB (for himself and Mr. FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend titles 38 and 5, United States Code, to ensure 

that certain employees of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs are subject to the same removal, demotion, and 

suspension policies as other employees of the Federal 

Government, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting VA Employ5 ees Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REPEAL OF SEPARATE REMOVAL, DEMOTION, AND 

2 SUSPENSION PROCESSES FOR CERTAIN EM3 PLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF4 FAIRS. 

5 (a) REPEAL.— 

6 (1) TITLE 38.—Section 714 of title 38, United 

7 States Code, is amended— 

8 (A) by striking subsections (a), (b), (c), 

9 (d), and (g); 

10 (B) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), 

11 and (h) as subsections (a), (b), and (c), respec12 tively; 

13 (C) in subsection (a), as so redesignated, 

14 by striking ‘‘under subsection (a)’’ each place it 

15 appears; and 

16 (D) in subsection (c), as so redesignated— 

17 (i) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4); 

18 and 

19 (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

20 and (6) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respec21 tively. 

22 (2) TITLE 5.—Section 4303(f) of title 5, United 

23 States Code, is amended— 

24 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking the 

25 comma at the end and inserting ‘‘, or’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘, or’’ 

2 and inserting a period; and 

3 (C) by striking paragraph (4). 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 7 of title 

5 38, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in section 719, by striking ‘‘under section 

7 713, 714, or 7461 of this title’’ each place it appears 

8 and inserting ‘‘under section 713 or 7461 of this 

9 title’’; 

10 (2) in section 714, as amended by subsection 

11 (a), by striking the section heading and inserting 

12 ‘‘Protections for whistleblowers from re13 moval, demotion, and suspension’’; 

14 (3) by redesignating section 714 as section 734; 

15 (4) by transferring section 734, as so redesig16 nated, so as to appear after section 733; and 

17 (5) in the table of sections— 

18 (A) by striking the item relating to section 

19 714; and 

20 (B) by inserting after the item relating to 

21 section 733 the following new item: 

‘‘734. Protections for whistleblowers from removal, demotion, and suspension.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF CERTAIN DISCIPLINARY AND 

2 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR PERSONNEL 

3 OF THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRA4 TION. 

5 The following provisions of title 38, United States 

6 Code, are each amended to read as such provisions read 

7 on the day before the date of the enactment of the Depart8 ment of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistle9 blower Protection Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–41): 

10 (1) Section 7461(b). 

11 (2) Section 7462(b). 

12 (3) Section 7463(c). 

Æ 


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