Veterans First Act
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 467.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Veterans First Act
TITLE I--PERSONNEL AND ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS
This bill establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection.
The VA is required to develop criteria to promote supervisory protection of whistle-blowers.
The bill revises VA authority to remove certain employees or senior VA executives for reasons of misconduct or performance.
The VA shall conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the performance plan for a career appointee in a VA Senior Executive Service position.
The VA may not pay a bonus to any employee against whom it is considering carrying out an adverse personnel action.
A VA official who has participated personally and substantially in a VA acquisition that exceeds $10 million shall, prior to termination, obtain a written opinion from a VA ethics counselor regarding post-VA activity restrictions.
TITLE II--HEALTH CARE MATTERS
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Act
The bill: (1) includes each immunization on the recommended adult immunization schedule in the VA preventive health services, and (2) expands veterans' chiropractor services.
The bill establishes the Veterans Expedited Recovery Commission to examine the VA's evidence-based therapy model for treating mental health illnesses.
The VA shall establish standards to ensure that each eligible veteran has access to mental health care in a manner that accommodates the veteran's obligation to not improperly disclose classified information.
The bill requires education and training of marriage and family therapists and licensed professional mental health counselors to be included in health personnel education and training programs.
Doctoral degrees are included in qualifications for licensed mental health counselors.
The VA shall: (1) require additional information about a prospective health care employee from the medical board of each state in which the health care provider holds or has held a medical license, and (2) provide state medical boards with information regarding VA health care providers who have violated a medical license requirement.
The summary continues for 44 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 "Reported to Senate without amendment" stage on May 16, 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 May 16, 2016: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 467.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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?
Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced it on May 11, 2016, and 45 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 28 Democrats, 17 Republicans.
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 May 11, 2016, 3774 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3769 days ago, on May 16, 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers