A veterans' healthcare bill that passed the House unanimously on Wednesday may stall in the Senate amid fighting over an unrelated provision in the stopgap government funding bill and opposition from federal employees' unions.
The "Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act" was the last piece of reform legislation spearheaded by retiring Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill contained dozens of provisions, including increased healthcare benefits for homeless veterans and an expansion of education benefits for military widows and widowers.
But one provision in particular drew the ire of federal employees' unions who felt the bill paved the way for "pay inequity" by changing the process by which the VA decides how much to pay its officials. That provision would end the VA's current practice of setting some salaries using peer-based panels to keep paychecks consistent with the market.
The VA itself supports the change and has previously argued that the panels waste time and delay the hiring process while delivering few benefits.
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3 comments:
Once the "add ons" are attached to a Bill it becomes complicated. Let's make it simple. One purpose, one Bill. Others can sponsor their own Bill without the political backscratching, or backstabbing as the case may be.
How about considering each bill on its merits, as opposed to what's attached to it? There's way too much gimme for my vote.
Any bills passed right now are meaningless
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