Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-2) released the following statement after the passage of his legislation, H.R. 6435, a bill to authorize the Directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks of the Department of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with appropriate civilian accreditation entities or appropriate health care evaluation entities to investigate medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs: 

“It’s not often enough that common-sense bills like this see a vote on the House floor, and a fast track to the Senate.  Simply put, H.R. 6435 allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with civilian health care accrediting and evaluation groups to investigate problems within our VA medical centers.  It ensures that our VA medical centers have all the information they need to make improvements for our veterans,” Mullin said.  “Our men and women who have served in uniform deserve the best quality care that we can provide, and this bill is another step in making sure that the VA becomes more transparent and accountable.”   

Congressman Mullin worked closely with Senators Inhofe and Lankford of Oklahoma to bring this bill forward.

“This legislation empowers regional VA leaders to partner with the private sector in turn creating a second layer of accountability within our facilities,” Senator Inhofe said.  “Increasing accountability will improve the quality of care our veterans in Oklahoma and across the nation receive. There is no better group to give this contracting authority to than the regional VA directors as they know first-hand the issues their medical facilities face and are directly responsible for bringing about change in the midst of excessive bureaucracy. I look forward to passing this legislation in the Senate before the Christmas recess.”

“Men and women who served our nation in uniform deserve quality care. Unfortunately, the VA isn’t always meeting this expectation,” Senator Lankford said.  “To ensure our veterans receive quality care, we must give our senior officials at the regional level the tools to inspect and identify problems. This bill will help bring the VA in line with the expectations of our veterans and fellow Oklahomans.”

H.R. 6435 passed the House by voice vote on Wednesday afternoon.  The bill will now head to the Senate for consideration.

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