[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3052 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3052

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the capability of 
  the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the medical care 
               needs of veterans in southern New Jersey.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2005

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the capability of 
  the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the medical care 
               needs of veterans in southern New Jersey.

    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 ``Southern New Jersey Veterans 
Comprehensive Health Care Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; DEFINITION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The current and future health care needs of veterans 
        residing in the eight southern counties of New Jersey are not 
        being fully met by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Travel times for southern New Jersey veterans to 
        existing Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities 
        in Pennsylvania and Delaware fall within the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs health planning criteria, but those criteria 
        fail to recognize that the area is largely rural and its 
        roadways are congested, creating significant access barriers to 
        veterans in need of care and thereby resulting in suppressed 
        demand for care.
            (3) Projections of future growth in demand for health care 
        by veterans in southern New Jersey support sustainable 
        enrollment of veterans needing Department of Veterans Affairs 
        health care.
            (4) The number of veterans residing in southern New Jersey 
        is increasing as more veterans retire in the area and new 
        veterans seek services in the wake of large-scale deployments 
        of National Guard and Reservists from the area. According to 
        United States census data, the veteran population in the eight 
        counties of southern New Jersey is greater than 235,000.
            (5) By the end of 2004, 62 percent of the serving members 
        of the New Jersey National Guard will have been deployed on 
        active duty in support of the global war on terror and will be 
        eligible for enrollment in the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        health care system.
    (b) Definition.--For purposes of this Act, the term ``southern New 
Jersey'' means the following counties of the State of New Jersey: 
Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and 
Cape May.

SEC. 3. MEDICAL CARE FOR VETERANS IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY.

    (a) Determination.--Not later than March 15, 2006, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall determine, and notify Congress pursuant to 
subsection (b), whether the needs of veterans in southern New Jersey 
for full-service medical care shall be met--
            (1) through a project for a public-private venture to 
        provide inpatient and outpatient services and long-term care to 
        veterans at an existing facility in southern New Jersey; or
            (2) through a project for construction of a new full-
        service, 100-bed Department of Veterans Affairs medical center 
        in southern New Jersey.
    (b) Notification and Prospectus.--Not later than March 15, 2006, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report--
            (1) identifying which of the two options specified in 
        subsection (a) has been selected by the Secretary; and
            (2) providing, for the option selected, a prospectus that 
        includes, at a minimum, the matter specified in paragraphs (1) 
        through (8) of section 8104(b) of title 38, United States Code, 
        and the project time lines.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC-PRIVATE VENTURE FOR MEDICAL CARE FOR VETERANS IN 
              SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY.

    (a) Project.--If the option selected by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs under section 3(a) is the option specified in paragraph (1) of 
that section for a project for a public-private venture to provide 
inpatient and outpatient services and long-term care to veterans at an 
existing facility in southern New Jersey, then the Secretary shall, 
subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, take 
such steps as necessary to enter into an agreement with an appropriate 
private-sector entity to provide for inpatient and outpatient services 
and long-term care for veterans at an existing facility in southern New 
Jersey. Such an agreement may include provision for construction of a 
new wing or other addition at such facility to provide additional 
services that will, under the agreement, be leased by the United States 
and dedicated to care and treatment of veterans by the Secretary under 
title 38, United States Code.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as necessary for a public-private venture 
project under this section.

SEC. 5. NEW DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, SOUTHERN NEW 
              JERSEY.

    (a) Project Authorization.--If the option selected by the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs under section 3(a) is the option specified in 
paragraph (2) of that section for a project for construction of a new 
full-service, 100-bed Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in 
southern New Jersey, then the Secretary shall, subject to the 
availability of appropriations for such purpose, carry out a major 
medical facility construction project for construction in southern New 
Jersey of a 100-bed medical facility providing inpatient and outpatient 
services and long-term care. Such facility shall be located in the 
county in southern New Jersey that the Secretary determines most 
suitable to meet the health care needs of veterans in the region.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Construction, Major Projects, account of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, in addition to any other amounts 
authorized for that account, the amount of $120,000,000 for the project 
authorized by subsection (a).
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