{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senate-unanimously-approves-moran-blumenthal-bill-to-reform-va-accountability", "Senate Unanimously Approves Moran-Blumenthal Bill to Reform VA Accountability", "2016-12-10", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Unanimously Approves Moran-Blumenthal Bill to Reform VA Accountability\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Tweet\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 10, 2016\n\t\t\t[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Today, the Senate approved legislation led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and to improve accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Increasing the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability to Veterans Act includes provisions to: limit paid administrative leave for employees under investigation; hold VA leaders accountable for department mismanagement, hiring well-qualified people, and addressing employee performance; prevent employee conflicts of interest; improve manager training; and close the gap on whistleblower protections. \r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cThis bipartisan bill would significantly strengthen veteran\u2019s health care, and impose tough new accountability, where virtually none existed before,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cAs veterans\u2019 needs change and men and women return home with visible and invisible wounds of war to heal, VA is in desperate need of a culture change \u2013 one that roots out bad actors and incentivizes the very best care for our veterans. This bill serves as a roadmap for how to balance those goals and put our veterans first.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe VA has failed to demonstrate a willingness to eliminate corruption by holding individuals responsible for their corrupt behavior,\u201d Moran said. \u201cThis legislation will help make certain VA senior executives and health care employees who violate the sacred trust of our nation\u2019s veterans will not be rewarded with unjustly guaranteed benefits or linger on administrative leave at taxpayer expense.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senate-unanimously-approves-moran-blumenthal-bill-to-reform-va-accountability"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6362390015274286, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}