[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1232 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1232

  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to construct a full 
                  service hospital in Far South Texas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2009

 Mr. Ortiz (for himself, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Cuellar, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, and Mr. Doggett) introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to construct a full 
                  service hospital in Far South Texas.

    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 ``Far South Texas Veterans Medical 
Center Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; DEFINITION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The current and future health care needs of veterans 
        residing in the Far South Texas area are not being fully met by 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more 
        than 117,000 veterans reside in Far South Texas.
            (3) In its Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services 
        study, the Department of Veterans Affairs found that fewer than 
        three percent of its enrollees in the Valley-Coastal Bend 
        Market of Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 reside within 
        its acute hospital access standards.
            (4) Travel times for veterans from the market referred to 
        in paragraph (3) can exceed six hours from their residences to 
        the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs hospital for acute 
        inpatient health care.
            (5) Even with the significant travel times, veterans from 
        Far South Texas demonstrate a high demand for health care 
        services from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (6) Current deployments involving members of the Texas 
        National Guard and Reservists from Texas will continue to 
        increase demand for medical services provided by the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Definition.--For purposes of this Act, the term ``Far South 
Texas'' means the following counties of the State of Texas: Aransas, 
Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Goliad, 
Hidalgo, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, 
Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF CONSTRUCTION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY IN FAR 
              SOUTH TEXAS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is authorized to 
carry out the construction of a major medical facility project in Far 
South Texas. The project shall consist of a full service Department of 
Veterans Affairs hospital, in an amount not to exceed $175,000,000.
    (b) Facility Location.--The facility referred to in subsection (a) 
shall be located in a county in Far South Texas that the Secretary 
determines to be most appropriate to meeting the health care needs of 
veterans in Far South Texas.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives a report identifying and outlining the determination of 
the Secretary under subsection (b) and a detailed estimate of the cost 
of and time necessary for completion of the project authorized under 
subsection (a).
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