U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement tonight praising the passage by the House of Representatives of H.R. 4486, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, by a bipartisan vote of 416-1. The bill included report language successfully inserted by Rep. Kelly requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a full status report by July 1, 2014, on actions taken by the VA to remedy the severe problems surrounding the leasing process for the Butler, PA Health Care Center as detailed in a recent report by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG). Also included in the bill was an amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Kelly to ban performance bonuses for VA Senior Executive Service employees.
"I am extremely pleased that the House passed this critical legislation to provide proper support for our troops and our veterans as well as their families and our nation's defense infrastructure. In particular, I am very grateful that tonight's bill contains important provisions to enforce much-needed accountability at the VA at a time when a "widespread and systemic lack of accountability' has resulted in severe negligence toward veteran care. The long and necessary fight for reform at the VA is not over and must be waged until responsibility is restored and all of our veterans are efficiently receiving the full services they earned and deserve."
Kelly language included in H.R. 4486:
"Response to VA Inspector General report. -- The Committee was disturbed by the March 31, 2014 Inspector General report describing the problems and lapses in management in the VA leasing process for the Butler, PA health care center. While the Committee understands that changes have been made to operations in the VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction in response to the IG report, the Committee directs the VA to provide a report by July 1, 2014 documenting the structural, staffing, and process changes that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented to prevent the problems with the Butler lease from happening anywhere else in the VA system."