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United States · Bill · HR

H.R. 1461 (115th)

VET Protection Act of 2017

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

9 March 2017

Last action

Status

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 94.

Sponsors

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

7 April 2025

Summary

Veterans, Employees, and Taxpayers Protection Act of 2017 or the VET Protection Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) track the use of official time by VA employees accurately; and (2) submit to the Office of Personnel Management and Congress, by October 1 of each fiscal year, a report on such use. "Official time" means any period of time granted to an employee under federal labor-management provisions to perform representational or consultative functions during which the employee would otherwise be in a duty status. The bill prohibits: (1) a VA employee from using official time to carry out political activities or activities relating to lobbying; (2) a VA physician, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, or optometrist from using official time for any purpose; (3) other VA employees involved with direct patient care and other employees whose rate of basic pay is equal to or higher than a GS-13 from spending more than 25% of the time such employee would otherwise be in a duty status on official time; and (4) any VA employee from spending more than 50% of the time such employee would otherwise be in a duty status on official time. Any exclusive bargaining agreement entered into by the VA shall allow a VA employee to terminate a voluntary allotment for the payment of dues at any time. The appointment of a covered VA employee shall become final only after such employee has served a probationary period of 18 months. "Covered employee": (1) means any individual appointed to a permanent position within the competitive service or as a career appointee within the Senior Executive Service, and (2) does not include any individual with a probationary period prescribed by a provision applicable to specified health care practitioners. An employee's supervisor shall determine whether an employee's appointment becomes final by 90 days before the expiration such probationary period.

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6 official files

Reported in House (text)

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