SERVICE Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Military Personnel.
Supporting, Employing, and Recognizing Veterans in Communities Everywhere Act or the SERVICE Act
TITLE I--ACCOUNTABILITY
This bill establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection and expands VA whistleblower protections.
The VA may remove and suspend (without pay) employees based on performance or misconduct that threatens the health and safety of veterans.
The VA: (1) shall reduce the federal annuity of an individual removed from the VA Senior Executive Service (SES) who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance; (2) may reduce the federal annuity of an individual who was convicted of such a felony and was subject to removal or transfer from the SES but who left the VA before final action was taken; and (3) may recoup awards, bonus, or relocation expenses paid to a VA employee who has committed an act of fraud, waste, or malfeasance.
TITLE II--HEALTH CARE
The VA may enter into contracts or agreements with eligible providers to furnish hospital care and medical services to electing, eligible veterans, which include veterans who are unable to schedule an appointment with a VA health care provider within a specified time frame or who do not reside within 40 miles of a VA medical facility. Such provisions may be referred to as the Veterans Choice Program.
VA emergency treatment reimbursement in non-VA facilities shall include reimbursement for urgent care.
The bill: (1) expands and makes permanent the VA childcare program for beneficiaries,and (2) provides for adoption assistance for certain disabled veterans.
The caregiver support program is terminated on October 1, 2020.
The bill: (1) authorizes the transfer of entitlement to Post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements; (2) expands the family caregiver program; (3) establishes the Office of Health Care Quality in the Veterans Health Administration; and (4) revises physician recruitment and retention provisions.
The summary continues for 27 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 15, 2016. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 19, 2016: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Mark Takano (D-CA) introduced it on September 15, 2016, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 15, 2016, 3647 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3613 days ago, on October 19, 2016.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers