[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1720 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1720

      To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
    construction projects for the purpose of improving, renovating, 
  establishing, and updating patient care facilities at Department of 
                   Veterans Affairs medical centers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2003

 Mr. Simmons (for himself and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
    construction projects for the purpose of improving, renovating, 
  establishing, and updating patient care facilities at Department of 
                   Veterans Affairs medical centers.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Health Care Facilities 
Capital Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS FOR PATIENT 
              CARE IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is 
authorized to carry out major medical facility projects in accordance 
with this section, using funds appropriated for fiscal year 2004, 2005, 
or 2006 pursuant to section 3. The cost of any such project may not 
exceed
            (A) $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2004;
            (B) $125,000,000 in fiscal year 2005; and
            (C) $150,000,000 in fiscal year 2006.
    (2) Projects carried out under this section are not subject to 
section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code.
    (b) Type of Projects.--A project carried out under subsection (a) 
may be carried out only at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
center and only for the purpose of one or more of the following:
            (1) Improving a patient care facility.
            (2) Replacing a patient care facility.
            (3) Renovating a patient care facility.
            (4) Updating a patient care facility to contemporary 
        standards.
            (5) Establishing a new patient care facility at a location 
        where no Department patient care facility exists.
            (6) Improving, replacing, or renovating a research facility 
        or updating such a facility to contemporary standards.
    (c) Purpose of Projects.--In selecting medical centers for projects 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall select projects to improve, 
replace, renovate, update, or establish facilities to achieve one or 
more of the following:
            (1) Seismic protection improvements related to patient 
        safety (or, in the case of a research facility, patient or 
        employee safety).
            (2) Fire safety improvements.
            (3) Improvements to utility systems and ancillary patient 
        care facilities (including such systems and facilities that may 
        be exclusively associated with research facilities).
            (4) Improved accommodation for persons with disabilities, 
        including barrier-free access.
            (5) Improvements at patient care facilities to specialized 
        programs of the Department, including the following:
                    (A) Blind rehabilitation centers.
                    (B) Inpatient and residential programs for 
                seriously mentally ill veterans, including mental 
                illness research, education, and clinical centers.
                    (C) Residential and rehabilitation programs for 
                veterans with substance-use disorders.
                    (D) Physical medicine and rehabilitation 
                activities.
                    (E) Long-term care, including geriatric research, 
                education, and clinical centers, adult day care 
                centers, and nursing home care facilities.
                    (F) Amputation care, including facilities for 
                prosthetics, orthotics programs, and sensory aids.
                    (G) Spinal cord injury centers.
                    (H) Traumatic brain injury programs.
                    (I) Women veterans' health programs (including 
                particularly programs involving privacy and 
                accommodation for female patients).
                    (J) Facilities for hospice and palliative care 
                programs.
    (d) Review Process.--(1) The Secretary shall provide that, before a 
project is submitted to the Secretary with a recommendation that it be 
approved as a project to be carried out under the authority of this 
section, the project shall be reviewed by a board within the Department 
of Veterans Affairs that is independent of the Veterans Health 
Administration and that is constituted by the Secretary to evaluate 
capital investment projects. The board shall review such project to 
determine the project's relevance to the medical care mission of the 
Department and whether the project improves, renovates, repairs, 
establishes, or updates facilities of the Department in accordance with 
this section.
    (2) In selecting projects to be carried out under the authority 
provided by this section, the Secretary shall consider the 
recommendations of the board under paragraph (1). In any case in which 
the Secretary approves a project to be carried out under this section 
that was not recommended for such approval by the board under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall include in the report of the Secretary under 
section 4(b) notice of such approval and the Secretary's reasons for 
not following the recommendation of the board with respect to that 
project.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Construction, Major Projects, 
account for projects under section 2--
            (1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    (b) Limitation.--Projects may be carried out under section 2 only 
using funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
appropriations in subsection (a), except that funds appropriated for 
advance planning may be used for the purposes for which appropriated in 
connection with such projects.

SEC. 4. REPORTS.

    (a) GAO Report.--Not later than April 1, 2005, the Comptroller 
General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and on 
Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of congressional 
authorization for projects of the type described in section 2(b) 
through general authorization as provided by section 2(a), rather than 
through specific authorization as would otherwise be applicable under 
section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code. Such report shall 
include a description of the actions of the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs during fiscal year 2004 to select and carry out projects under 
section 2.
    (b) Secretary Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date on 
which the site for the final project under section 2 for each such 
fiscal year is selected, the Secretary shall submit to the committees 
referred to in subsection (a) a report on the authorization process 
under section 2. The Secretary shall include in each such report the 
following:
            (1) A listing by project of each such project selected by 
        the Secretary under that section, together with a prospectus 
        description of the purposes of the project, the estimated cost 
        of the project, and a statement attesting to the review of the 
        project under section 2(c), and, if that project was not 
        recommended by the board, the Secretary's justification under 
        section 2(d) for not following the recommendation of the board.
            (2) An assessment of the utility to the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs of that authorization process.
            (3) Such recommendations as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate for future congressional policy for authorizations 
        of major and minor medical facility construction projects for 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (4) Any other matter that the Secretary considers to be 
        appropriate with respect to oversight by Congress of capital 
        facilities projects of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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