Statement of US Department of Labor on provisions of H.R. 5286 that would roll back civil rights protections

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on provisions of H.R. 5286 that would roll back civil rights protections.

“H.R. 5286 would statutorily roll back important civil rights protections for the people who provide care for our nation’s veterans, potentially subjecting them to discrimination based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. Rather than include some of the most basic and long-standing civil rights protections in federal law enforced by the Department of Labor, some in Congress are continuing their assault on these important civil rights.  Ironically, H.R. 5286 would even undo safeguards that protect veterans from employment discrimination. Denying veterans these important civil rights deprives precisely those individuals who are the intended beneficiaries of this bill.  

“The Administration strongly supports legislative efforts to clarify the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase care and services in the community when such services are not reasonably available from VA or through contracts or sharing agreements under existing authorities. But to do so does not require turning back the clock on civil rights protections.  Congress should reject this false choice.”