Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) recently voted in favor of two pieces of legislation that reflect his commitment to the care of our nation’s veterans. H.R. 1259 and H.R. 1367 address staffing policies and human resource practices at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

H.R. 1259, “The VA Accountability First Act of 2017” would grant the Secretary of the VA additional authority to remove employees due to poor performance or misconduct and increase whistleblower protections.  Provisions in H.R. 1367 would strengthen the VA’s ability to improve staffing through identification of staffing shortages, recruitment of new employees and retain high-performing workers across the country. The bill also makes changes to requirements for an individual to receive preference in federal hiring based on veteran’s status, specifically for military retirees, guardsmen, and reservists.

Congressman Bacon stated: “Nebraska’s veterans benefit from an outstanding and dedicated team of professionals in our VA facilities, but I have learned that not every community in our country is so fortunate. H.R. 1259 will give the VA the tools necessary to swiftly discipline those employees who are not fulfilling their mission to provide the best care to our veterans, while also supporting our VA employees who excel in their mission. H.R. 1367 will provide the tools needed to streamline the VA hiring process to ensure we can attract and retain a world-class workforce for our veterans.”      

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