Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
Latest action · May 19, 2021 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 20, 2021
- Passed HouseMay 18, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement various policies and procedures related to sexual harassment, other harassment, and employment discrimination.
The bill requires the VA to ensure that
- the official who serves as the VA's Equal Employment Opportunity Director reports directly to the Deputy Secretary and does not also serve in a position that has responsibility over personnel functions or functions that conflict with the equal employment functions,
- each Equal Employment Opportunity program manager at the facility level reports to the head of the Office of Resolution Management (ORM) with respect to equal employment functions, and
- the employment discrimination complaint resolution system requires any VA manager who receives a harassment or employment discrimination complaint to report such complaint to the ORM immediately (or within two business days of receiving the complaint if immediate reporting is impracticable).
The VA must provide employees with mandatory annual training on identifying and addressing sexual harassment, other harassment, and employment discrimination, including with respect to processes under the VA's Harassment Prevention Program.
The VA must regularly review the policies relating to sexual harassment, other harassment, and employment discrimination to ensure its policies are complete and in accordance with the policies established by the ORM. Additionally, the VA must issue a final directive and handbook for its Harassment Prevention Program.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 20, 2021 to May 17, 2021; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-IA | Ashley Hinson | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-TX | Van Taylor | May 17, 2021 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Apr 20, 2021Markup May 5, 2021Reported May 17, 2021 |
| Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee | Referred Apr 28, 2021Discharged May 4, 2021 | |
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred May 19, 2021 |
Actions 15
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 19, 2021Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- May 18, 2021Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 403, proceedings on H.R. 2704 are considered vacated.
- May 18, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 403, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 144, as amended; H.R. 204, as amended; H.R. 210, as amended; H.R. 240; H.R. 707, as amended; H.R. 711, as amended; H.R. 1157, as amended; H.R. 1447, as amended; H.R. 1510, as amended; H.R. 1711, as amended; H.R. 2027; H.R. 2167, as amended; H.R. 2441; H.R. 2494; H.R. 2533; H.R. 2655, as amended; H.R. 2695, H.R. 2704; H.R. 2788; H.R. 2878, as amended; and H.R. 3008. (consideration: CR H2482-2520; text: CR H2517)
- May 17, 2021Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 117-36.
- May 17, 2021Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 21.
- May 17, 2021Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- May 17, 2021Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2360-2362; text: CR H2360-2361)
- May 17, 2021DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2704.
- May 17, 2021At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. (text: CR H2360-2361)
- May 4, 2021Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Discharged.
- May 4, 2021Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- May 4, 2021Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 6.
- Apr 28, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
- Apr 20, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 20, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2482Text printed H2517 | Steny H. Hoyer D-MD | May 18, 2021 |
| House | Debate and remarks H2360–H2362Text printed H2360 | Ashley Hinson R-IA, Chris Pappas D-NH, Mark Takano D-CA, Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr. R-MT, Mike Bost R-IL | May 17, 2021 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- May 14, 2021H.R. 2704, Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on May 4, 2021
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 68, April 20, 2021, page H2000.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the equal employment opportunity functions of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Improving VA Accountability To Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Assault and harassment offenses
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Employment and training programs
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Sex offenses
- Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 19, 2021Referred in Senate
- May 18, 2021Engrossed in House
- May 17, 2021Reported in House
- Apr 20, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
