{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/house-passes-bill-to-improve-transparency-at-clarksburg-va-medical-center", "House Passes Bill To Improve Transparency At Clarksburg VA Medical Center", "2020-11-17", "2020", "2020-11", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "November 17, 2020\n\t\t\t House Passes Bill To Improve Transparency At Clarksburg VA Medical Center \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington,\r\nDC  Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed The\r\nImproving Safety and Security for Veterans Act of 2019, which was\r\nintroduced in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley\r\nMoore Capito (R-WV) and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives\r\nDavid McKinley (R-WV), Alex Mooney (R-WV) and Carol Miller (R-WV). The bill passed\r\nthe Senate in December 2019 and will be sent to the President for approval. This\r\nbipartisan legislation will require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs\r\n(VA) to submit detailed reports on patient safety and quality of care at VA\r\nMedical Centers (VAMC) in light of the recent deaths of Veterans at the\r\nClarksburg VAMC. The legislation ensures that Congress, Veterans, and their\r\nfamilies are fully informed on the policies and procedures in place across the\r\nVA nationally. Additionally, this bill requires the VA, once the criminal\r\ninvestigations are completed, to submit a detailed report and timeline of\r\nevents surrounding the deaths at the Clarksburg VAMC. I\r\nam pleased the House of Representatives unanimously passed this bipartisan,\r\ncommonsense legislation that will help increase transparency at the VA. We have\r\nfaced issues of transparency surrounding the murder of at least seven Veterans\r\nat the Clarksburg VAMC, resulting in a lack of confidence in the VA. I can't\r\nimagine having a loved one murdered while in the VA's care and after almost two\r\nyears still not knowing the full picture. I look forward to the President\r\nsigning this legislation into law and helping bring justice and peace of mind\r\nto our Veterans and their families, said Senator Manchin. The horrifying murders at the Clarksburg VAMC were a\r\ngruesome wakeup call underscoring the need for a more thorough look at security\r\nsystems and procedures across the VAMC system. This bill is a step forward to\r\nhelp ensure our veterans are protected and safely cared for while in VA hands,\r\nsaid Senator Capito. We\r\ncannot begin to understand the grief and anger of the families whose loved ones\r\nwere killed at the Clarksburg VA, said Representative McKinley. Our\r\nbipartisan bill will ensure more transparency and accountability within the VA.\r\nIt will also provide Congress with a better understanding of what happened in\r\nClarksburg, and how to prevent it from ever happening again. I\r\nwas proud to vote for the Improving Safety and Security for Veterans Act, which\r\nwill improve patient safety at VA medical facilities. Those who served our\r\nnation in the military deserve not only our utmost respect, but also our\r\ncontinued care once they leave military service. The murder of at least seven\r\nVeterans at the Clarksburg VA should never be allowed to happen again, said\r\nRepresentative Mooney. As\r\nan original cosponsor of this legislation, I am glad that Congress was able to\r\ncome together to bring necessary change and oversight of our VA Medical Centers\r\nin order to ensure that our veterans have confidence in the quality of health\r\ncare they deserve, said Representative Miller. What happened at the\r\nClarksburg and Beckley VA facilities this past year were absolute tragedies,\r\nand my heart goes out to the victims and the families of those who suffered.\r\nThrough the passage of this bill, I am optimistic that Congress has taken\r\nlasting steps to restore faith in the VA healthcare system that our Veterans\r\ndepend on.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 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.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/house-passes-bill-to-improve-transparency-at-clarksburg-va-medical-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4442109279334545, "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"}