[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 50 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 50

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a guaranteed 
   adequate level of funding for veterans health care, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 7, 2003

    Mr. Johnson (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Reid, Mr. Inouye, Mr. 
Dorgan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Daschle, and Mr. Baucus) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                          on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a guaranteed 
   adequate level of funding for veterans health care, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Health Care Funding 
Guarantee Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. GUARANTEED ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR VETERANS HEALTH CARE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 117. Guaranteed funding for veterans health care
    ``(a) For each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the amount 
determined under subsection (b) with respect to that fiscal year. Each 
such amount is available, without fiscal year limitation, for the 
programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health 
Administration, as specified in subsection (c).
    ``(b)(1) The amount applicable to fiscal year 2005 under this 
subsection is the amount equal to 120 percent of the amount obligated 
by the Department during fiscal year 2003 for the purposes specified in 
subsection (c).
    ``(2) The amount applicable to any fiscal year after fiscal year 
2005 under this subsection is the amount equal to the product of the 
following:
            ``(A) The sum of--
                    ``(i) the number of veterans enrolled in the 
                Department health care system under section 1705 of 
                this title as of July 1 preceding the beginning of such 
                fiscal year; and
                    ``(ii) the number of persons eligible for health 
                care under chapter 17 of this title who are not covered 
                by clause (i) and who were provided hospital care or 
                medical services under such chapter at any time during 
                the fiscal year preceding such fiscal year.
            ``(B) The per capita baseline amount, as increased from 
        time to time pursuant to paragraph (3)(B).
    ``(3)(A) For purposes of paragraph (2)(B), the term `per capita 
baseline amount' means the amount equal to--
            ``(i) the amount specified in paragraph (1), divided by
            ``(ii) the number of veterans enrolled in the Department 
        health care system under section 1705 of this title as of 
        September 30, 2003.
    ``(B) With respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide 
a percentage increase (rounded to the nearest dollar) in the per capita 
baseline amount equal to the percentage by which--
            ``(i) the Consumer Price Index (all Urban Consumers, United 
        States city Average, Medical Care, Not Seasonally Adjusted), 
        published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department 
        of Labor for the 12-month period ending on the June 30 
        preceding the beginning of the fiscal year for which the 
        increase is made, exceeds
            ``(ii) such Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period 
        preceding the 12-month period described in clause (i).
    ``(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the purposes for 
which amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a) shall be all 
programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health 
Administration.
    ``(2) Amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a) are not 
available for grants under subchapter III of chapter 81 of this 
title.''.
    (b) Repeal of Construction Authorization Requirement.--Section 8104 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 8104. Additional authorities and limitations
    ``(a) The Secretary may accept gifts or donations for any of the 
purposes of this subchapter.
    ``(b)(1) The Secretary may not obligate funds in an amount in 
excess of $500,000 from the Advance Planning Fund of the Department 
toward the design or development of a major medical facility project 
until--
            ``(A) the Secretary submits to the committees a report on 
        the proposed obligation; and
            ``(B) a period of 30 days has passed after the date on 
        which the report is received by the committees.
    ``(2) In this subsection, the term `major medical facility project' 
means a project for the construction, alteration, or acquisition of a 
medical facility involving a total expenditure of more than $4,000,000, 
but such term does not include an acquisition by exchange.''.
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--(1) The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 1 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new item:

``117. Guaranteed funding for veterans health care.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 81 of such 
title is amended by striking the item relating to section 8104 and 
inserting the following new item:

``8104. Additional authorities and limitations.''.
    (d) Effective Dates.--(1) The amendments made by subsections (a) 
and (c)(1) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (2) The amendments made by subsections (b) and (c)(2) shall take 
effect on October 1, 2004.
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