[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3421 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3421

To authorize major medical facility projects and major medical facility 
leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal years 2006 and 
                     2007, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 6, 2006

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize major medical facility projects and major medical facility 
leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal years 2006 and 
                     2007, 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. AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2006 MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
              PROJECTS.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the following major 
medical facility projects in fiscal year 2006, with each project to be 
carried out in the amount specified for that project:
            (1) Restoration, new construction or replacement of the 
        medical center facility for the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, due to damage from 
        Hurricane Katrina in an amount not to exceed $675,000,000.
            (2) Restoration of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Medical Center, Biloxi, Mississippi, and consolidation of 
        services performed at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Medical Center, Gulfport, Mississippi, in an amount not to 
        exceed $310,000,000.
            (3) Replacement of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, in an amount not to exceed 
        $52,000,000.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION FOR MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
              CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AUTHORIZED UNDER CAPITAL ASSET 
              REALIGNMENT INITIATIVE.

    Notwithstanding subsection (d) of section 221 of the Veterans 
Health Care, Capital Asset, and Business Improvement Act of 2003 
(Public Law 108-170; 117 Stat. 2050), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may enter into contracts before September 30, 2009, to carry out each 
major medical facility project, as originally authorized by such 
section 221, as follows with each project to be carried out in the 
amount specified for that project:
            (1) Construction of an outpatient clinic and regional 
        office at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 
        Anchorage, Alaska, in an amount not to exceed $75,270,000.
            (2) Consolidation of clinical and administrative functions 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 
        Cleveland, Ohio, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
        Center in Brecksville, Ohio, in an amount not to exceed 
        $102,300,000.
            (3) Construction of the Extended Care Building at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Des Moines, 
        Iowa, in an amount not to exceed $25,000,000.
            (4) Renovation of patient wards at the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, in 
        an amount not to exceed $9,100,000.
            (5) Correction of patient privacy deficiencies at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, 
        Florida, in an amount not to exceed $85,200,000.
            (6) 7th and 8th Floor Wards Modernization addition at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis, 
        Indiana, in an amount not to exceed $27,400,000.
            (7) Construction of a new Medical Center Facility at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Las Vegas, 
        Nevada, in an amount not to exceed $406,000,000.
            (8) Construction of an Ambulatory Surgery/Outpatient 
        Diagnostic Support Center in the Gulf South Submarket of 
        Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 8 and completion of 
        Phase I land purchase, Lee County, Florida, in an amount not to 
        exceed $65,100,000.
            (9) Seismic Corrections-Buildings 7 & 126 at the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach, California, in 
        an amount not to exceed $107,845,000.
            (10) Seismic Corrections-Buildings 500 & 501 at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Los Angeles, 
        California, in an amount not to exceed $79,900,000.
            (11) Construction of a New Medical Center facility in the 
        Orlando, Florida, area in an amount not to exceed $377,700,000.
            (12) Consolidation of Campuses at the University Drive and 
        H. John Heinz III divisions, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in an 
        amount not to exceed $189,205,000.
            (13) Ward Upgrades and Expansion at the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, in an 
        amount not to exceed $19,100,000.
            (14) Seismic Corrections-Building 1, Phase 1 Design at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Juan, Puerto 
        Rico, in an amount not to exceed $15,000,000.
            (15) Construction of a Spinal Cord Injury Center at the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Syracuse, New 
        York, in an amount not to exceed $53,900,000.
            (16) Upgrade Essential Electrical Distribution Systems at 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tampa, 
        Florida, in an amount not to exceed $49,000,000.
            (17) Expansion of the Spinal Cord Injury Center addition at 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tampa, 
        Florida, in an amount not to exceed $7,100,000.
            (18) Blind Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Bed renovation 
        and new construction project at the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs Medical Center, Temple, Texas, in an amount not to 
        exceed $56,000,000.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2006 MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
              LEASES.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the following major 
medical facility leases in fiscal year 2006 at the locations specified, 
and in an amount for each lease not to exceed the amount shown for such 
location:
            (1) For an outpatient clinic, Baltimore, Maryland, 
        $10,908,000.
            (2) For an outpatient clinic, Evansville, Illinois, 
        $8,989,000.
            (3) For an outpatient clinic, Smith County, Texas, 
        $5,093,000.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2007 MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
              LEASES.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the following major 
medical facility leases in fiscal year 2007 at the locations specified, 
and in an amount for each lease not to exceed the amount shown for such 
location:
            (1) For an outpatient and specialty care clinic, Austin, 
        Texas, $6,163,000.
            (2) For an outpatient clinic, Lowell, Massachusetts, 
        $2,520,000.
            (3) For an outpatient clinic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 
        $4,409,000.
            (4) For up to four outpatient clinics, Las Vegas, Nevada, 
        $8,518,000.
            (5) For an outpatient clinic, Parma, Ohio, $5,032,000.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006 Major 
Medical Facility Projects.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006 for the 
Construction, Major Projects, account, $1,606,000,000 for the projects 
authorized in section 1.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations for Major Medical Facility 
Projects Under Capital Asset Realignment Initiative.--
            (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for 
        fiscal year 2007 for the Construction, Major Projects, account, 
        $1,750,120,000 for the projects whose authorization is extended 
        by section 2.
            (2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) shall remain 
        available until September 30, 2009.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations for Major Medical Facility 
Leases.--
            (1) Fiscal year 2006 leases.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal 
        year 2006 for the Medical Care account, $24,990,000 for the 
        leases authorized in section 4.
            (2) Fiscal year 2007 leases.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal 
        year 2007 for the Medical Care account, $26,642,000 for the 
        leases authorized in section 5.
    (d) Limitation.--The projects authorized in sections 1 and 2 may 
only be carried out using--
            (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2006 or 2007 
        pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsections 
        (a), (b), and (c) of this section;
            (2) funds available for Construction, Major Projects, for a 
        fiscal year before fiscal year 2006 that remain available for 
        obligation;
            (3) funds available for Construction, Major Projects, for a 
        fiscal year after fiscal year 2006 or 2007 that are available 
        for obligation; and
            (4) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
        for fiscal year 2006 or 2007 for a category of activity not 
        specific to a project.
                                 <all>