Sponsors (2)
The bill protects VA law enforcement pay, grades, and the continuity of veteran security services, but it raises taxpayer costs, reduces agencies' workforce flexibility, and creates legal/administrative complexity.
VA law enforcement employees will have pay and grade restored for any downgrades between Oct 1, 2025 and enactment and receive retroactive pay, protecting their compensation.
Veterans and VA medical centers will keep stable law enforcement staffing and continuity of security services because the bill blocks reclassification/downgrades and prevents agencies from using funds to weaken VA law enforcement roles.
Taxpayers may face higher federal personnel costs due to retroactive pay restorations and barring downgrades.
Federal agencies will have reduced flexibility to reclassify and realign workforce roles, limiting managers' ability to implement classification reforms or achieve cost savings.
Federal employees and agencies could face legal and administrative complexity from restoring positions and recalculating pay retroactively, increasing litigation and administrative burdens.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars downgrades of VA law enforcement positions, voids downgrades since Oct 1, 2025, restores prior grade/pay, and requires make-whole pay to affected employees.
Official title: To prohibit the downgrading of law enforcement positions in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Timothy M. Kennedy · Last progress March 19, 2026
Prohibits federal officials and use of federal funds from proposing, initiating, or carrying out any downgrade of Department of Veterans Affairs law enforcement positions. It voids downgrades proposed, initiated, or carried out since October 1, 2025, restores affected positions to their prior grade/pay status, and requires payment of any pay the employees would have otherwise received. Defines covered positions broadly to include any VA role performing law enforcement functions (regardless of appointment type or funding source) and defines "position downgrade" to include classification actions, consistency reviews, incumbent-only reviews, or similar procedures that could reduce grade or pay under Title 5 or similar authority.