Mark Takano: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I had intended to support H.R. 1293, but after hearing the remarks from…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I had intended to support H.R. 1293, but after hearing the remarks from the chairman on the floor this morning, I am afraid that this bill is just a precursor for what the majority will try to do to our dedicated Federal employees. The sentiments expressed by the chairman are in line with the legislation that appeared before the Veterans' Affairs Committee just this past week, legislation that would have undermined the use of official time for employees at the VA. So there are attacks happening in other parts of the House. The committee marked up H.R. 1461, the misnamed VET Protection Act. This bill would limit the amount of time VA employees can use for official time to improve working conditions for themselves and for their colleagues and, in turn, improve services for veterans. We considered this bill, despite the fact we didn't have clear data on the impact of the bill on the VA's HR capability. I realize this bill we are considering on the floor today is about that data, but the spirit in which it is being moved forward is not about trying to illuminate how official time has helped our veterans. There are 49,386 vacant positions at the VA. Rolling back the use of official time will only increase the demands on the VA's human resources staff, making it harder to fill positions and recruit and retain quality providers. Official time benefits our veterans.…”