I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2047 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the authority of the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to remove senior executives of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs for performance or misconduct to include re-
moval of certain other employees of the Department, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 28, 2015 
Mr. DUFFY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government 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 title 38, United States Code, to expand the au-
thority 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 Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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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 VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS TO REMOVE SENIOR EXECU-
TIVES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS 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 ‘‘sen-
ior executive position’’ both places it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘covered position’’; 
and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘in paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘in para-
graph (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): 
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‘‘(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 sub-
section (a)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘under subsection 
(a)(1)(B)’’; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘senior execu-
tive position’’ and inserting ‘‘covered position’’; 
(4) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘The pro-
cedures under section 7543(b) of title 5’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘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 em-
ployed on a full-time basis under a permanent 
appointment in a position listed in section 7401 
of this title (other than interns and residents 
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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 ‘‘Dis-
ciplinary’’ 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 Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives’’. 
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.— 
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(1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading for sec-
tion 713 of such title is amended by striking ‘‘Sen-
ior executives: removal based on per-
formance or misconduct’’ and inserting ‘‘Re-
moval 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 amend-
ed 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 per-
formance or misconduct.’’. 
Æ 
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