Only the left has signed this so far (Bill Ranking)
H.R. 659 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
5 members · Left 5 · Center 0 · Right 0 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Rep. Brownley, Julia (D-CA) (Introduced 01/23/2025) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Lean left · DW-NOMINATE -0.31 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 5 members signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | Senate - Veterans' Affairs Committee; House - Veterans' Affairs Committee; House - Veterans' Affairs Committee; House - Veterans' Affairs Committee; House - Veterans' Affairs Committee |
| Latest Action | 01/26/2026 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in House (01/23/2025)
Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025
This bill requires the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to prioritize individuals with three or more years of legal professional experience in relevant legal areas when recommending individuals to the Department of Veterans Affairs to serve as members of the Board.
119 HR 659 EH: Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IB 119th CONGRESS2d Session H. R. 659
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes.
1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025.
2.Priority for individuals with certain professional experience in appointments to Board of Veterans’ AppealsSubsection (a) of section 7101A of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3)In recommending individuals to the Secretary to serve as members of the Board, the Chairman shall give priority to individuals with three or more years of legal professional experience in areas that pertain to the laws administered by the Secretary.. Passed the House of Representatives January 20, 2026.Kevin F. McCumber,Clerk.
119 HR 659 IH: Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-23 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 659IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJanuary 23, 2025Ms. Brownley (for herself and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' AffairsA BILLTo amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes.
1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025.
2.Priority for individuals with certain professional experience in appointments to Board of Veterans’ AppealsSubsection (a) of section 7101A of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3)In recommending individuals to the Secretary to serve as members of the Board, the Chairman shall give priority to individuals with three or more years of legal professional experience in areas that pertain to the laws administered by the Secretary..
119 HR 659 : Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2026-01-26 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IIB119th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 659IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESJanuary 26 (legislative day, January 15), 2026Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' AffairsAN ACTTo amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025.
2.Priority for individuals with certain professional experience in appointments to Board of Veterans’ AppealsSubsection (a) of section 7101A of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:(3)In recommending individuals to the Secretary to serve as members of the Board, the Chairman shall give priority to individuals with three or more years of legal professional experience in areas that pertain to the laws administered by the Secretary..Passed the House of Representatives January 20, 2026.Kevin F. McCumber,Clerk.
119 HR 659 RH: Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-09-26 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IB Union Calendar No. 263 119th CONGRESS1st Session H. R. 659 [Report No. 119–309]
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 23, 2025 Ms. Brownley (for herself and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs September 26, 2025 Additional sponsors: Mr. Soto, Mrs. Ramirez, and Mr. Garcia of California September 26, 2025 Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes.
1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025.
2.Priority for individuals with certain professional experience in appointments to Board of Veterans’ AppealsSubsection (a) of section 7101A of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3)In recommending individuals to the Secretary to serve as members of the Board, the Chairman shall give priority to individuals with three or more years of legal professional experience in areas that pertain to the laws administered by the Secretary.. September 26, 2025 Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 01/23/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 01/23/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 01/23/2025 | House floor actions | Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
| 03/04/2025 | House committee actions | Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. |
| 06/24/2025 | House committee actions | Subcommittee Hearings Held |
| 07/03/2025 | House committee actions | Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Discharged |
| 07/23/2025 | House committee actions | Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held |
| 07/23/2025 | House committee actions | Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote. |
| 09/26/2025 | Library of Congress | Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 119-309. |
| 09/26/2025 | House floor actions | Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 119-309. |
| 09/26/2025 | House floor actions | Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 263. |
| 01/20/2026 | House floor actions | Mr. Bost moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| 01/20/2026 | House floor actions | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H936-937) |
| 01/20/2026 | House floor actions | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 659. |
| 01/20/2026 | Library of Congress | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H936) |
| 01/20/2026 | House floor actions | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H936) |
| 01/20/2026 | House floor actions | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| 01/26/2026 | Senate | Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text | Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 |
| Short Title(s) as Passed House | Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 |
| Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text | To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes. |
| Short Title(s) as Reported to House | Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 |
| Display Title | Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025 |
| Official Title as Introduced | To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes. |
There are no amendments to this bill.
* = Original cosponsor
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| Senate - Veterans' Affairs Committee | 01/26/2026 Referred To |
| House - Veterans' Affairs Committee | 09/26/2025 Reported By |
| House - Veterans' Affairs Committee | 07/23/2025 Markup By |
| House - Veterans' Affairs Committee | 07/03/2025 Discharged from |
| House - Veterans' Affairs Committee | 01/23/2025 Referred To |
No related bill information was received for H.R. 659.
Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security
All data on this page comes from our own database (legislation.congress_* tables), synced daily from the GPO govinfo BILLSTATUS and BILLS collections. Formatted after congress.gov; nothing is generated. Member placement is their DW-NOMINATE score (voteview.com, Lewis et al.) - a measurement of roll-call voting behavior, not our judgement. Buckets: Left below −0.50 · Lean Left to −0.25 · Center to +0.25 · Lean Right to +0.50 · Right above +0.50. The bill's Support meter aggregates the people who signed the bill - sponsor and current cosponsors, each counted once - nothing else.