[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1543 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1543

  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out certain 
major medical facility projects for which appropriations were made for 
               fiscal year 2015, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2015

Mr. Ted Lieu of California (for himself, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. 
 Lowenthal, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Hahn, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Takano, 
and Mr. Issa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out certain 
major medical facility projects for which appropriations were made for 
               fiscal year 2015, 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 ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Medical Facility Earthquake Protection and Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS OF THE 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR WHICH AMOUNTS HAVE 
              BEEN APPROPRIATED.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations 
        Act, 2015 (Public Law 113-235), appropriated to the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs--
                    (A) $35,000,000 to make seismic corrections to 
                Building 205 in the West Los Angeles Medical Center of 
                the Department in Los Angeles, California, which, 
                according to the Department, is a building that is 
                designated as having an exceptionally high risk of 
                sustaining substantial damage or collapsing during an 
                earthquake;
                    (B) $101,900,000 to replace the community living 
                center and mental health facilities of the Department 
                in Long Beach, California, which, according to the 
                Department, are designated as having an exceptionally 
                high risk of sustaining substantial damage or 
                collapsing during an earthquake;
                    (C) $187,500,000 to replace the existing spinal 
                cord injury clinic of the Department in San Diego, 
                California, which, according to the Department, is 
                designated as having an extremely high risk of 
                sustaining major damage during an earthquake; and
                    (D) $122,400,000 to make renovations to address 
                substantial safety and compliance issues at the medical 
                center of the Department in Canandaigua, New York, and 
                for the construction of a new clinic and community 
                living center at such medical center.
            (2) The Department is unable to obligate or expend the 
        amounts described in paragraph (1) because it lacks an explicit 
        authorization by an Act of Congress pursuant to section 
        8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, to carry out the 
        major medical facility projects described in such paragraph.
            (3) Among the major medical facility projects described in 
        paragraph (1), three are critical seismic safety projects in 
        California.
            (4) Every day that the critical seismic safety projects 
        described in paragraph (3) are delayed puts the lives of 
        veterans and employees of the Department at risk.
            (5) According to the United States Geological Survey--
                    (A) California has a 99 percent chance or greater 
                of experiencing an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or 
                greater in the next 30 years;
                    (B) even earthquakes of less severity than 
                magnitude 6.7 can cause life threatening damage to 
                seismically unsafe buildings; and
                    (C) in California, earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or 
                greater occur on average once every 1.2 years.
    (b) Authorization.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out 
the major medical facility projects of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs specified in the explanatory statement accompanying the 
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public 
Law 113-235) at the locations and in the amounts specified in such 
explanatory statement, including by obligating and expending such 
amounts.
                                 <all>