In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

Input: Consider Input: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Independent Ethics Commission Act of
2007''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT ETHICS COMMISSION.

(a) Establishment.--There is established an independent ethics
commission within the House of Representatives to be known as the
Independent Ethics Committee (in this Act referred to as the
''Commission'').
(b) Membership and Terms of Office.--(1) The Commission shall
consist of 9 commissioners, 4 appointed by the Speaker and 4 by the
minority leader of the House, and one selected by the affirmative vote
of two-thirds of the 8 appointed commissioners for a term of 5 years.
No commissioner may serve for more than 5 years.
(2) Commissioners shall be appointed for terms of 5 years, except
that of the commissioners first appointed, 2 appointed by the Speaker
and 2 by the minority leader shall be for 3-year terms and 2 appointed
by the Speaker and 2 by the minority leader shall be for 4-year terms
as designated by the Speaker and the minority leader at the time of
appointment.
(c) Qualifications.--Only former Federal judges shall be eligible
for appointment to the Commission.
(1) Disqualifications for appointments.--
(A) Lobbying.--No individual who has been a
lobbyist registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act
of 1995 or engages in, or is otherwise employed in,
lobbying of the Congress or who is an agent of a
foreign principal registered under the Foreign Agents
Registration Act within the 4-year period immediately
preceding appointment shall be eligible for appointment
to, or service on, the Commission.
(B) Incompatible office.--No member of the
Commission appointed under subsection (b) may be a
Member of the House of Representatives or Senator.
(2) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled
in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
(d) Compensation.--Members shall each be entitled to receive the
daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay in effect for
Level III of the Executive Schedule for each day (including travel
time) during which they are engaged in the actual performance of duties
vested in the Commission.
(e) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall
constitute a quorum.
(f) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call a majority of
its members.

SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.

(a) Duties.--The Commission is authorized--
(1) to receive, monitor, and oversee financial disclosure
and other reports filed by Members of the House and officers
and employees of the House under the Ethics in Government Act
of 1978, and reports filed by registered lobbyists under the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995;
(2) to investigate any alleged violation, by a Member,
officer, or employee of the House of Representatives, of any
rule or other standard of conduct applicable to the conduct of
such Member, officer, or employee under House rules in the
performance of his duties or the discharge of his
responsibilities;
(3) to present a case of probable ethics violations to the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of
Representatives;
(4) to make recommendations to the Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives that it
report to the appropriate Federal or State authorities any
substantial evidence of a violation by a Member, officer, or
employee of the House of Representatives of any law applicable
to the performance of his duties or the discharge of his
responsibilities, which may have been disclosed in an
investigation by the Office;
(5) to provide information and informal guidance to
Members, officers and employees of the House of Representatives
regarding any rules and other standards of conduct applicable
to such individuals in their official capacities, and develop
and carry out periodic educational briefings for Members,
officers, and employees of the House of Representatives on
those laws, rules, regulations, or other standards; and
(6) to give consideration to the request of any Member,
officer, or employee of the House of Representatives for a
formal advisory opinion or other formal ruling, subject to the
review of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the
House of Representatives, as applicable, with respect to the
general propriety of any current or proposed conduct of such
Member, officer, or employee and, with appropriate deletions to
assure the privacy of the individual concerned, to publish such
opinion for the guidance of other Members, officers, and
employees of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

(a) Hearings and Evidence.--The Commission may for the purpose of
carrying out this Act--
(1) hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and
places, take such testimony, receive such evidence, administer
such oaths; and
(2) subject to subsection (b), require, by subpoena or
otherwise, the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and
the production of such books, records, correspondence,
memoranda, papers, and documents, as the Commission may
determine advisable.
(b) Subpoenas.--A subpoena may be issued only with a majority of
the Commission.
(c) Obtaining Information.--Upon request of the Commission, the
head of any agency or instrumentality of the Government shall furnish
information deemed necessary by the Commission to enable it to carry
out its duties.
(d) Referrals to the Department of Justice.--Whenever the
Commission has reason to believe that a violation of the Lobbying
Disclosure Act of 1995 may have occurred, that matter may be referred
to the Department of Justice for it to investigate.
(e) General Audits.--The Commission shall have the authority to
conduct general audits of filings under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1995.

SEC. 5. INVESTIGATIONS AND INTERACTION WITH THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT.

(a) Notification.--Whenever the Commission determines that there
are sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation--
(1) the Commission shall notify the Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct of this determination;
(2) the applicable committee may overrule the determination
of the Commission if, within 10 legislative days--
(A) the committee by an affirmative, roll-call vote
of two-thirds of the full committee votes to overrule
the determination of the Commission;
(B) the committee issues a public report detailing
its reasoning for overruling the Commission;
(C) the vote of each member of the committee on
such roll-call vote is included in the report;
(D) dissenting members are allowed to issue their
own report detailing their reasons for disagreeing with
the majority vote; and
(E) if the committee votes to overrule the
determination of the Commission pursuant to
subparagraph (B), the Commission may publish and make
available to the general public a report detailing the
reasons that the Commission concluded there were
sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation.
(b) Conducting Investigations.--(1) If the Commission determines
that there are sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation and his
determination is not overruled under subsection (a)(5), the Commission
shall conduct an investigation to determine if probable cause exists
that a violation occurred.
(2) As part of an investigation, the Commission may--
(A) administer oaths;
(B) issue subpoenas;
(C) compel the attendance of witnesses and the production
of papers, books, accounts, documents, and testimony; and
(D) take the deposition of witnesses.
(3) If a person disobeys or refuses to comply with a subpoena, or
if a witness refuses to testify to a matter, he may be held in contempt
of Congress.
(c) Presentation of Case to House Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct.--(1) If the Commission determines, upon conclusion of
an investigation, that probable cause exists that an ethics violation
has occurred, the Commission shall notify the Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct of the House of Representatives of this determination.
(2) The committee may overrule the determination of the Commission
if, within 10 legislative days--
(A) the committee by an affirmative, roll-call vote of two-
thirds of the full committee votes to overrule the
determination of the Commission;
(B) the committee issues a public report detailing its
reasoning for overruling the Commission;
(C) the vote of each member of the committee on such roll-
call vote is included in the report; and
(D) dissenting members are allowed to issue their own
report detailing their reasons for disagreeing with the
majority vote.
(3) If the committee votes to overrule the determination of the
Commission pursuant to paragraph (2), the Commission may publish and
make available to the general public a report detailing the reasons
that he concluded there were sufficient grounds to present such case to
the committee.
(4)(A) If the Commission determines there is probable cause that an
ethics violation has occurred and the Commission's determination is not
overruled, the Commission shall present the case and evidence to the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of
Representatives to hear and make a determination pursuant to its rules.
(B) The committee shall vote upon whether the individual who is the
subject of the investigation has violated any rules or other standards
of conduct applicable to that individual in his official capacity. Such
votes shall be a roll-call vote of the full committee, a quorum being
present. The committee shall issue a public report which shall include
the vote of each member of the committee on such roll-call vote.
Dissenting members may issue their own report detailing their own
reasons for disagreeing with the majority vote.
(d) Sanctions.--Whenever the Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct of the House of Representatives finds that an ethics violation
has occurred the Commission shall recommend appropriate sanctions to
the committee and whether a matter should be referred to the Department
of Justice for investigation.

SEC. 6. PROCEDURAL RULES.

(a) Majority Approval.--No report or recommendation relating to the
official conduct of a Member, officer, or employee of the House of
Representatives shall be made by the Commission, and no investigation
of such conduct shall be undertaken by the Commission, unless approved
by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Commission.
(b) Investigations.--Except in the case of an investigation
undertaken by the Commission on its own initiative, the Commission may
undertake an investigation relating to the official conduct of an
individual Member, officer, or employee of the House of Representatives
only--
(1) upon receipt of a complaint, in writing and under oath,
made by or submitted to a Member of the House of
Representatives and transmitted to the Commission by such
Member, or
(2) upon receipt of a complaint from the chairman of the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of
Representatives, in writing and under oath, made by that
committee.
(c) Prohibition of Certain Investigations.--No investigation shall
be undertaken by the Commission of any alleged violation of a law,
rule, regulation, or standard of conduct not in effect at the time of
the alleged violation.
(d) Disclosure.--No information or testimony received, or the
contents of a complaint or the fact of its filing, shall be publicly
disclosed by any member of the Commission or staff of the Commission
unless specifically authorized in each instance by a vote of the
Commission.

SEC. 7. STAFF OF COMMISSION.

The Commission may appoint and fix the compensation of such staff
as the Commission considers necessary to perform its duties. The
Commission shall be appointed jointly by the Speaker and minority
leader and shall be paid at a rate not to exceed the rate of basic pay
payable for Level III of the Executive Schedule.

SEC. 8. AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE TO CHANGE THE DUTIES OF
THE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT.

(a) House Rules Amendments.--Clause 3 of rule XI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives is amended as follows:
(1) In paragraph (a), strike subparagraphs (1), (2), and
(3), and redesignate subparagraphs (4), (5), and (6), as
subparagraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively.
(2)(A) Paragraph (b)(1) is amended by striking ''(A)'', by
striking ''a resolution, report, recommendation, or'' and
inserting ''an'', and by striking '', or, except as provided in
subparagraph (2), undertake an investigation'', and by striking
subdivision (B).
(B) Paragraph (b) is further amended by striking
subparagraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) and by redesignating
subparagraphs (6) and (7) as subparagraphs (2) and (3),
respectively.
(3) Strike paragraphs (j) (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), and
(q).
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 803 of the Ethics Reform Act of
1989 (2 U.S.C. 29d) is amended by striking subsections (c) and (d).

SEC. 9. ACTION ON COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS.

(a) Printing of Reports in Congressional Record.--Upon receipt by
the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of
Representatives of any report of the Commission, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives shall have the report printed in the
Congressional Record.
(b) House Consideration of Independent Ethics Commission
Recommendations.--Within 14 calendar days after a report referred to in
subsection (a) is printed in the Congressional Record, that portion of
the report recommending action by the House of Representatives
respecting any alleged violation, by a Member, officer, or employee of
the House of Representatives, of any law, rule, regulation, or other
standard of conduct applicable to the conduct of such Member, officer,
or employee in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his
responsibilities shall be introduced (by request) in the House by the
Speaker of the House, for himself and the minority leader of the House
in the form of a resolution. This resolution shall constitute a
question of privilege under rule IX of the Rules of the House of
Representatives. Any Member favoring the resolution may call it up as a
question of privilege but only on the third day after the calendar date
upon which such Member announces to the House his intention to do so.

SEC. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE.

This Act shall take effect upon the date of its enactment, except
that sections 3, 4, and 8 shall not take effect immediately prior to
noon January 3, 2009.

Output: Independent Ethics Commission Act of 2007 - Establishes within the House of Representatives an Independent Ethics Commission composed only of former federal judges.

Input: Consider Input: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ''Dr. Chris
Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY

Sec. 101. Definitions.
Sec. 102. Stays; probationary employees.
Sec. 103. Prohibited personnel practices.
Sec. 104. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers.
Sec. 105. Suicide by employees.
Sec. 106. Training for supervisors.
Sec. 107. Information on whistleblower protections.

TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES

Sec. 201. Prevention of unauthorized access to medical records of
employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 202. Outreach on availability of mental health services available
to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 203. Protocols to address threats against employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 204. Comptroller General of the United States study on
accountability of chiefs of police of Department of Veterans
Affairs medical centers.

TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY

SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
In this title--
(1) the term ''agency''--
(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means an entity
that is an agency, as defined under section 2302 of title 5,
United States Code, without regard to whether one or more
portions of title 5 of the United States Code are inapplicable
to the entity; and
(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
(2) the term ''employee'' means an employee (as defined in
section 2105 of title 5, United States Code) of an agency; and
(3) the term ''personnel action'' has the meaning given that
term under section 2302 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 102. STAYS; PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES.
(a) Request by Special Counsel.--Section 1214(b)(1) of title 5,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(E) If the Merit Systems Protection Board grants a stay under
this subsection, the head of the agency employing the employee shall
give priority to a request for a transfer submitted by the employee.''.
(b) Probationary Employees.--Section 1221 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''(k) If the Merit Systems Protection Board grants a stay to an
employee in probationary status under subsection (c), the head of the
agency employing the employee shall give priority to a request for a
transfer submitted by the employee.''.
(c) Study Regarding Retaliation Against Probationary Employees.--
The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate
and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives a report discussing retaliation against employees in
probationary status.
SEC. 103. PROHIBITED PERSONNEL PRACTICES.
Section 2302(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (12), by striking ''or'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (13), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ''; or''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following:
''(14) access the medical record of another employee or an
applicant for employment as a part of, or otherwise in furtherance
of, any conduct described in paragraphs (1) through (13).''.
SEC. 104. DISCIPLINE OF SUPERVISORS BASED ON RETALIATION AGAINST
WHISTLEBLOWERS.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 75 of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''Sec. 7515. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers
''(a) Definitions.--In this section--
''(1) the term 'agency'--
''(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means an
entity that is an agency, as defined under section 2302,
without regard to whether any other provision of this chapter
is applicable to the entity; and
''(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
''(2) the term 'prohibited personnel action' means taking or
failing to take an action in violation of paragraph (8), (9), or
(14) of section 2302(b) against an employee of an agency; and
''(3) the term 'supervisor' means an employee who would be a
supervisor, as defined under section 7103(a), if the entity
employing the employee was an agency.
''(b) Proposed Disciplinary Actions.--
''(1) In general.--If the head of the agency employing a
supervisor, an administrative law judge, the Merit Systems
Protection Board, the Special Counsel, a judge of the United
States, or the Inspector General of the agency employing a
supervisor determines that the supervisor has committed a
prohibited personnel action, the head of the agency employing the
supervisor, in accordance with the procedures required under
paragraph (2)--
''(A) for the first prohibited personnel action committed
by a supervisor--
''(i) shall propose suspending the supervisor for a
period of not less than 3 days; and
''(ii) may, in addition to a suspension described in
clause (i), propose any other action, including a reduction
in grade or pay, that the head of the agency determines
appropriate; and
''(B) for the second prohibited personnel action committed
by a supervisor, shall propose removing the supervisor.
''(2) Procedures.--
''(A) Notice.--A supervisor against whom an action is
proposed to be taken under paragraph (1) is entitled to written
notice--
''(i) stating the specific reasons for the proposed
action; and
''(ii) informing the supervisor of the right of the
supervisor to review the material which is relied on to
support the reasons for the proposed action.
''(B) Answer and evidence.--
''(i) In general.--A supervisor who is notified under
subparagraph (A) that the supervisor is the subject of a
proposed action under paragraph (1) is entitled to 14 days
following such notification to answer and furnish evidence
in support of the answer.
''(ii) No evidence furnished; insufficient evidence.--
After the end of the 14-day period described in clause (i),
if a supervisor does not furnish evidence as described in
clause (i) or if the head of the agency determines that
such evidence is not sufficient to reverse the proposed
action, the head of the agency shall carry out the action.
''(C) Scope of procedures.--An action carried out under
this section--
''(i) except as provided in clause (ii), shall be
subject to the same requirements and procedures (including
regarding appeals) as an action under section 7503, 7513,
or 7543; and
''(ii) shall not be subject to--

''(I) paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 7503(b);
''(II) paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) and
subsection (c) of section 7513; or
''(III) paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)
and subsection (c) of section 7543.

''(3) Delegation.--
''(A) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (B), the
head of an agency may delegate any authority or responsibility
under this subsection.
''(B) Nondelegability of determination regarding prohibited
personnel action.--If the head of an agency is responsible for
determining whether a supervisor has committed a prohibited
personnel action for purposes of paragraph (1), the head of the
agency may not delegate that responsibility.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
subchapter II of chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:

''7515. Discipline of supervisors based on retaliation against
whistleblowers.''.
SEC. 105. SUICIDE BY EMPLOYEES.
(a) Referral.--The head of an agency shall refer to the Special
Counsel, along with any information known to the agency regarding the
circumstances described in paragraphs (2) and (3), any instance in
which the head of the agency has information indicating--
(1) an employee of the agency committed suicide;
(2) prior to the death of the employee, the employee made any
disclosure of information which reasonably evidences--
(A) any violation of any law, rule, or regulation; or
(B) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse
of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public
health or safety; and
(3) after a disclosure described in paragraph (2), a personnel
action was taken against the employee.
(b) Office of Special Counsel Review.--For any referral to the
Special Counsel under subsection (a), the Special Counsel shall--
(1) examine whether any personnel action was taken because of
any disclosure of information described in subsection (a)(2); and
(2) take any action the Special Counsel determines appropriate
under subchapter II of chapter 12 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 106. TRAINING FOR SUPERVISORS.
In consultation with the Special Counsel and the Inspector General
of the agency (or senior ethics official of the agency for an agency
without an Inspector General), the head of each agency shall provide
training regarding how to respond to complaints alleging a violation of
whistleblower protections (as defined in section 2307 of title 5,
United States Code, as added by section 107) available to employees of
the agency--
(1) to employees appointed to supervisory positions in the
agency who have not previously served as a supervisor; and
(2) on an annual basis, to all employees of the agency serving
in a supervisory position.
SEC. 107. INFORMATION ON WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS.
(a) Existing Provision.--
(1) In general.--Section 2302 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended--
(A) by striking subsection (c); and
(B) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as
subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively.
(2) Technical and conforming amendments.--
(A) Section 4505a(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and inserting ''section
2302(c)''.
(B) Section 5755(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and inserting ''section
2302(c)''.
(C) Section 110(b)(2) of the Whistleblower Protection
Enhancement Act of 2012 (5 U.S.C. 2302 note) is amended by
striking ''section 2302(f)(1) or (2)'' and inserting ''section
2302(e)(1) or (2)''.
(D) Section 1217(d)(3) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3657(d)(3)) is amended by striking ''section 2302(d)''
and inserting ''section 2302(c)''.
(E) Section 1233(b) of the Panama Canal Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3673(b)) is amended by striking ''section 2302(d)'' and
inserting ''section 2302(c)''.
(b) Provision of Information.--Chapter 23 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
''Sec. 2307. Information on whistleblower protections
''(a) Definitions.--In this section--
''(1) the term 'agency'--
''(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), has the
meaning given that term in section 2302; and
''(B) does not include any entity that is an element of the
intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4));
''(2) the term 'new employee' means an individual--
''(A) appointed to a position as an employee of an agency
on or after the date of enactment of the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick
Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017; and
''(B) who has not previously served as an employee; and
''(3) the term 'whistleblower protections' means the
protections against and remedies for a prohibited personnel
practice described in paragraph (8), subparagraph (A)(i), (B), (C),
or (D) of paragraph (9), or paragraph (14) of section 2302(b).
''(b) Responsibilities of Head of Agency.--The head of each agency
shall be responsible for the prevention of prohibited personnel
practices, for the compliance with and enforcement of applicable civil
service laws, rules, and regulations, and other aspects of personnel
management, and for ensuring (in consultation with the Special Counsel
and the Inspector General of the agency) that employees of the agency
are informed of the rights and remedies available to them under this
chapter and chapter 12, including--
''(1) information regarding whistleblower protections available
to new employees during the probationary period;
''(2) the role of the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit
Systems Protection Board with regard to whistleblower protections;
and
''(3) how to make a lawful disclosure of information that is
specifically required by law or Executive order to be kept
classified in the interest of national defense or the conduct of
foreign affairs to the Special Counsel, the Inspector General of an
agency, Congress, or other agency employee designated to receive
such disclosures.
''(c) Timing.--The head of each agency shall ensure that the
information required to be provided under subsection (b) is provided to
each new employee of the agency not later than 6 months after the date
the new employee begins performing service as an employee.
''(d) Information Online.--The head of each agency shall make
available information regarding whistleblower protections applicable to
employees of the agency on the public website of the agency, and on any
online portal that is made available only to employees of the agency if
one exists.
''(e) Delegees.--Any employee to whom the head of an agency
delegates authority for personnel management, or for any aspect
thereof, shall, within the limits of the scope of the delegation, be
responsible for the activities described in subsection (b).''.
(c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following:

''2307. Information on whistleblower protections.''.

TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES

SEC. 201. PREVENTION OF UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS OF
EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Development of Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
(A) develop a plan to prevent access to the medical records
of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs by employees
of the Department who are not authorized to access such
records;
(B) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress the
plan developed under subparagraph (A); and
(C) upon request, provide a briefing to the appropriate
committees of Congress with respect to the plan developed under
subparagraph (A).
(2) Elements.--The plan required under paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A detailed assessment of strategic goals of the
Department for the prevention of unauthorized access to the
medical records of employees of the Department.
(B) A list of circumstances in which an employee of the
Department who is not a health care provider or an assistant to
a health care provider would be authorized to access the
medical records of another employee of the Department.
(C) Steps that the Secretary will take to acquire new or
implement existing technology to prevent an employee of the
Department from accessing the medical records of another
employee of the Department without a specific need to access
such records.
(D) Steps the Secretary will take, including plans to issue
new regulations, as necessary, to ensure that an employee of
the Department may not access the medical records of another
employee of the Department for the purpose of retrieving
demographic information if that demographic information is
available to the employee in another location or through
another format.
(E) A proposed timetable for the implementation of such
plan.
(F) An estimate of the costs associated with implementing
such plan.
(b) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term ''appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 202. OUTREACH ON AVAILABILITY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a program of
outreach to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs to inform
those employees of any mental health services, including telemedicine
options, that are available to them.
SEC. 203. PROTOCOLS TO ADDRESS THREATS AGAINST EMPLOYEES OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure protocols are in
effect to address threats from individuals receiving health care from
the Department of Veterans Affairs directed towards employees of the
Department who are providing such health care.
SEC. 204. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES STUDY ON
ACCOUNTABILITY OF CHIEFS OF POLICE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTERS.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study
to assess the reporting, staffing, accountability, and chain of command
structure of the Department of Veterans Affairs police officers at
medical centers of the Department.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

Output: (This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on May 4, 2017 . Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 TITLE I--EMPLOYEES GENERALLY (Sec. 102) This bill directs federal agencies (excluding any entity that is an element of the intelligence community) to give priority to an employee transfer request if the Merit Systems Protections Board (MSPB) grants a stay of a personnel action at the request of: (1) the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) if the OSC determines the personnel action was taken, or is to be taken, as a result of a prohibited personnel practice; or (2) the employee if the individual is in probationary status and seeks corrective action. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall report to Congress on retaliation against employees in probationary status. (Sec. 103) The bill: (1) prohibits any employee who has the authority to take a personnel action to access the medical records of another employee or applicant for employment, (2) authorizes disciplinary action against supervisors for retaliation against whistleblowers. (Sec. 105) Agencies must: (1) refer information about employee suicides to the OSC, (2) train supervisors on responding to complaints alleging whistleblower protections violations, (3) provide information regarding whistleblower protections to new employees during probationary periods, (4) inform employees of the role of the OSC and the MSPB with regard to whistleblower protection, and (5) make information about such protections available on agency websites. TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEES (Sec. 201) The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must: (1) submit a plan to prevent unauthorized access to the medical records of VA employees; (2) conduct an outreach program to inform its employees of available mental health services, including telemedicine options; and (3) ensure protocols are in effect to address threats against VA employees providing health care. (Sec. 204) The GAO shall assess the reporting, staffing, accountability, and chain of command structure of the VA police officers at VA medical centers.

Input: Consider Input: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Emergency Financial Manager Reform
Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:
(1) Local government units are charged with providing
critical law enforcement, educational training, public safety,
and health services for the communities they serve.
(2) The mismanagement of Federal grant money, including
conflicts of interest and abuse of discretion, undermines the
ability of local government units to provide these essential
services.
(3) The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that
Federal grant management operations for local government units
were adversely impacted in cases where unaccountable emergency
financial managers were appointed.
(4) The Federal Government has a strong interest in
preventing the mismanagement of Federal funds intended to
support local law enforcement efforts to protect health and
safety by ensuring that local government units are accountable
for such funds.
(5) The appointment of an emergency financial manager may
adversely impact voting rights when such appointment
disproportionately affects minority communities whose local
elected officials are displaced by such financial manager.
(6) The appointment of an emergency financial manager can
adversely impact public health and safety priorities, including
the safety of public drinking water systems, in instances where
they are unaccountable to local elected leaders.
(7) Under article I, section 10, clause 1 of the U.S.
Constitution, a State is prohibited from impairing a
contractual obligation. In addition, some State constitutions
explicitly prohibit impairment of a collective bargaining
agreement and accrued financial benefits under a pension plan
or a retirement system. Such impairment is unconstitutional and
a violation of law unless consented to by all parties.

SEC. 3. SAFEGUARDS REGARDING STATE APPOINTMENT OF AN EMERGENCY
FINANCIAL MANAGER.

(a) Reduction of Byrne-JAG Funds.--The Attorney General may
withhold 5 percent of the funds that would otherwise be allocated to a
State under the program under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et
seq.) for the fiscal year following any fiscal year in which an
emergency financial manager is appointed by that State or continues in
a previous appointment and--
(1) the chief legal officer or other appropriate State
official does not, by the date of the appointment and every 18
months thereafter while the appointment remains in effect,
submit to the Attorney General a certification that--
(A) such appointment does not have the purpose nor
will it have the effect of denying, abridging, or
diluting the right to vote on account of race or color;
and
(B) the community for which the emergency financial
manager is appointed has been given an opportunity, by
public notice issued simultaneously with the submission
to the Attorney General, to submit comments in full for
a period of at least 30 days with regard to
subparagraph (A);
(2) the Attorney General interposes an objection under
paragraph (1)(A) by not later than 60 days after submission of
comments under paragraph (1)(B) and the emergency financial
manager thereafter continues in the appointment;
(3) such emergency financial manager is authorized to make
decisions affecting public health or safety of the residents or
employees of a local government unit, including the
disbursement of any emergency funds provided by any Federal or
State entity for the purpose of addressing lead or other
contamination of drinking water in a public water system,
without receiving prior approval from the governor of the State
and appropriate local elected officials;
(4) such emergency financial manager does not have adequate
oversight in effect to ensure against conflicts of interest,
mismanagement, and abuse of discretion by such emergency
financial manager;
(5) such emergency financial manager is authorized to
reject, modify, or terminate one or more terms and conditions
of an existing collective bargaining agreement without mutual
consent as to such rejection, modification, or termination by
all parties to the agreement;
(6) such emergency financial manager is authorized to
reject, modify, or terminate one or more terms of an existing
contract without mutual consent by all parties to the contract
or without submitting such rejection, modification, or
termination for approval by a bankruptcy court under title 11,
United States Code; or
(7) such emergency financial manager is appointed and
members of the community under the jurisdiction of such
appointment were not provided prior thereto--
(A) an opportunity, by public notice issued
simultaneously with the submission to the Attorney
General required pursuant to paragraph (1) for a period
of at least 30 days, to make public comment as to any
conflicts of interest the proposed appointee may have,
whether the proposed appointee has the requisite
experience and financial acumen, and whether the
proposed appointee is empowered to propose sources of
financial assistance, such as loans, grants, and
revenue sharing; and
(B) with the name of a State official to whom may
be conveyed complaints about the appointee, including
complaints about any conflicts of interest,
mismanagement, or dereliction of duty.
(b) Reallocation.--Amounts not allocated under the program referred
to in subsection (a) to a State shall, to the extent practicable, be
reallocated under that program to the local government unit for which
the emergency financial manager is appointed.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) The term ''emergency financial manager'' means any
person appointed by a State, including a financial control
board or commission, emergency manager, receiver, coordinator,
or overseer that oversees or manages a local government unit.
(2) The term ''local government unit'' includes cities,
towns, municipalities, school board districts, law enforcement
departments or any other body, department, or office which
exercises authority over matters of local concern at the
direction of local elected officials or governing bodies or the
appointees of local elected officials or governing bodies.
(3) The term ''adequate oversight'' means, in the case of
an emergency financial manager--
(A) a monthly, publically available report,
reviewed and approved by the governor and appropriate
local elected officials, accounting for all financial
activities of the emergency financial manager
(including possible conflicts of interest,
mismanagement, and abuses of discretion) related to the
duties of the emergency financial manager; and
(B) an independent State-approved publically
available audit of the emergency financial manager's
duty-related activities on an annual basis or, if the
term of an emergency financial manager is less than one
year, at least one such audit.
(4) The term ''State'' means any one of the several States.
Output: Emergency Financial Manager Reform Act of 2016 This bill requires a state with a state-appointed emergency financial manager to certify that the appointment: (1) does not have the purpose or effect of limiting the right to vote on account of race or color, and (2) followed a notice and comment period. If a state with a state-appointed emergency financial manager fails to submit such certification, then the Department of Justice may reduce by 5% that state's allocation of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program.