[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2827 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2827

  To provide for the conveyance of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center at Ft. Lyon, Colorado, to the State of Colorado, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2000

  Mr. Allard introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for the conveyance of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center at Ft. Lyon, Colorado, to the State of Colorado, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF FT. LYON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MEDICAL CENTER, COLORADO, TO THE STATE OF COLORADO.

    (a) Conveyance Authorized.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law and subject to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs may convey, without consideration, to the State of 
Colorado all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to 
a parcel of real property, including improvements thereon other than 
Kit Carson Chapel, consisting of approximately 512 acres and comprising 
the location of the Ft. Lyon Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center. The purpose of the conveyance is to permit the State of 
Colorado to utilize the property for purposes of a correctional 
facility.
    (b) Public Access.--(1) The Secretary may not make the conveyance 
of real property authorized by subsection (a) unless the State of 
Colorado agrees to provide appropriate public access to Kit Carson 
Chapel and the cemetery located on the real property.
    (2) The State of Colorado may satisfy the condition specified in 
paragraph (1) with respect to Kit Carson Chapel by relocating the 
chapel to Fort Lyon National Cemetery, Colorado, or another appropriate 
location jointly selected by the Secretary and the State of Colorado.
    (c) Replacement Facilities.--The Secretary may not make the 
conveyance authorized by subsection (a) until the date on which the 
Secretary opens not less than three health care facilities, and a 
nursing home care facility, in Veterans Integrated Service Network 
(VISN) 19, which shall serve as replacement facilities for the Ft. Lyon 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
    (d) Environmental Restoration.--The Secretary may not make the 
conveyance authorized by subsection (a) until the Secretary completes 
the evaluation and performance of any environmental restoration 
activities required by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.), and 
by any other provision of law.
    (e) Personal Property.--As part of the conveyance authorized by 
subsection (a), the Secretary may convey, without consideration, to the 
State of Colorado any furniture, fixtures, equipment, and other 
personal property associated with the property conveyed under that 
subsection that the Secretary determines is not required for purposes 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities to be 
established by the Secretary in southern Colorado or for purposes of 
Ft. Lyon National Cemetery.
    (f) Legal Description.--The exact acreage and legal description of 
the real property to be conveyed under subsection (a), and of any 
fixtures and other personal property conveyed under subsection (e), 
shall be determined by a survey, and by such other methods, as are 
satisfactory to the Secretary. Any costs associated with activities 
under this subsection shall be borne by the State of Colorado.
    (g) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may require 
such other terms and conditions in connection with the conveyances 
authorized by subsections (a) and (e) as the Secretary considers 
appropriate to protect the interests of the United States.

SEC. 2. EFFECT OF CLOSURE OF FT. LYON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MEDICAL CENTER ON ADMINISTRATION OF HEALTH CARE FOR 
              VETERANS.

    (a) Payment for Nursing Home Care.--Notwithstanding any limitation 
under section 1720 or 1741 of title 38, United States Code, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs may pay the State of Colorado, or any 
private nursing home care facility, for costs incurred in providing 
nursing home care to any veteran who is relocated from the Ft. Lyon 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Colorado, to the State 
of Colorado or such private facility, as the case may be, as a result 
of the closure of the Ft. Lyon Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center.
    (b) Obligation To Provide Extended Care Services.--Nothing in this 
Act may be construed to alter or otherwise effect the obligation of the 
Secretary to meet the requirements of section 1710B(b) of title 38, 
United States Code, relating to staffing and levels of extended care 
services in fiscal years after fiscal year 1998.
    (c) Extension of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority.--
Notwithstanding section 1109(a) of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Employment Reduction Assistance Act of 1999 (title XI of Public Law 
106-117; 113 Stat. 1599; 5 U.S.C. 5597 note), the authority to pay 
voluntary separation incentive payments under that Act to employees of 
the Ft. Lyon Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center shall apply 
to eligible employees (as defined by section 1110 of that Act) at the 
Ft. Lyon Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center whose separation 
occurs before June 30, 2001.
    (d) Report on Veterans Health Care in Southern Colorado.--Not later 
than one year after the conveyance, if any, authorized by section 1, 
the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
acting through the Director of Veterans Integrated Service Network 
(VISN) 19, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the status of the 
health care system for veterans under the Network in the Southern 
Colorado. The report shall describe any improvements to the system in 
Southern Colorado that have been put into effect in the period 
beginning on the date of the conveyance and ending on the date of the 
report.
                                 <all>