[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2349 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2349

To authorize certain major medical facility projects for the Department 
                          of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2003

  Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Filner, Ms. 
 Berkley, and Mrs. Davis of California) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize certain major medical facility projects for the Department 
                          of Veterans Affairs.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the following major 
medical facility projects, with each project to be carried out in the 
amount specified for that project:
            (1) Construction of a new bed tower to consolidate two 
        inpatient sites of care in inner city Chicago at the West Side 
        Division of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care 
        system in Chicago, Illinois, in an amount not to exceed 
        $98,500,000.
            (2) Construction in Clark County, Nevada, of a facility for 
        (A) a multispecialty outpatient clinic to replace the leased 
        Las Vegas ambulatory care center, and (B) a satellite office 
        for the Veterans Benefits Administration, in an amount not to 
        exceed $97,300,000.
            (3) Seismic corrections to strengthen Medical Center 
        Building 1 of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care 
        system in San Diego, California, in an amount not to exceed 
        $48,600,000.
            (4) A project for (A) renovation of all inpatient care 
        wards at the West Haven, Connecticut, facility of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs health system in Connecticut to 
        improve the environment of care and enhance safety, privacy, 
        and accessibility, and (B) establishment of a consolidated 
        medical research facility at that facility, in an amount not to 
        exceed $50,000,000.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2004 for the 
Construction, Major Projects, account $294,400,000 for the projects 
authorized in section 1.
    (b) Limitation.--The projects authorized in section 1 may only be 
carried out using--
            (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2004 pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in subsection (a);
            (2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
        for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2004 that remain available 
        for obligation; and
            (3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
        for fiscal year 2004 for a category of activity not specific to 
        a project.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASE.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into a lease for an 
outpatient clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an amount not to 
exceed $3,000,000.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON DISPOSAL OF LAKESIDE DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

    (a) Limitation.--No funds available to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs may be used for disposal of the Lakeside Division facility of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities in Chicago, 
Illinois, until the Secretary has entered into a contract to construct 
a new bed tower at the West Side Medical Center of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs in Chicago, Illinois.
    (b) Definition.-- For purposes of this section, the term 
``disposal'', with respect to the Lakeside Division facility, includes 
entering into a long-term lease or sharing agreement under which a 
party other than the Secretary has operational control of the facility.
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