[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4129 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4129

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program 
 under which the Secretary enters into partnership agreements with non-
 Federal entities for the construction of major construction projects 
               authorized by law, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 30, 2015

 Mr. McNerney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program 
 under which the Secretary enters into partnership agreements with non-
 Federal entities for the construction of major construction projects 
               authorized by law, 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 ``Jumpstart VA Construction Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The buildings of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        have an average age of 60 years.
            (2) Since 2004, use of Department facilities has grown from 
        80 percent to 120 percent, while the condition of these 
        facilities has eroded from 81 percent to 71 percent over that 
        same period of time.
            (3) The Department currently manages and maintains more 
        than 5,600 buildings and almost 34,000 acres of land.
            (4) More than 3,900 infrastructure gaps remain that will 
        cost between $54,000,000,000 and $66,000,000,000 to close, 
        including $10,000,000,000 in activation costs.
            (5) The Veterans Health Administration has 21 major 
        construction projects dating to 2007 that have been only 
        partially funded.
            (6) The total unobligated amount for all currently budgeted 
        major construction projects exceeds $2,900,000,000.
            (7) To finish existing projects and to close current and 
        future gaps, the Department will need to invest at least 
        $23,200,000,000 over the next 10 years.
            (8) At current requested funding levels, it will take more 
        than 67 years to complete the 10-year capital investment plan 
        of the Department.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS BY NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES 
              UNDER PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
a program under which the Secretary shall enter into partnership 
agreements on a competitive basis with appropriate non-Federal entities 
for the construction of major construction projects authorized by law.
    (b) Selection of Projects.--The Secretary shall select major 
construction projects for completion by non-Federal entities under the 
program. Each project selected shall be a major medical facility 
project authorized by law for the construction of a new facility for 
which--
            (1) Congress has appropriated any funds;
            (2) the design and development phase is complete; and
            (3) construction has not begun, as of the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
    (c) Agreements.--Each partnership agreement for a construction 
project under the program shall provide that--
            (1) the non-Federal entity shall obtain any permits 
        required pursuant to Federal and State laws before beginning to 
        carry out construction; and
            (2) if requested by the non-Federal entity, the Secretary 
        shall provide technical assistance for obtaining any necessary 
        permits for the construction project.
    (d) Application.--To be eligible to participate in the program 
established under subsection (a), a non-Federal entity shall submit to 
the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require, including the 
following:
            (1) A description of the project manager of each major 
        construction project for which the Secretary enters into a 
        partnership agreement under the program.
            (2) A description of the non-Federal contributions to the 
        project and how future funding will be secured.
            (3) A description of the project management plan that the 
        non-Federal entity will use to ensure concise and consistent 
        communication of all parties involved in the project.
            (4) A description of metrics to monitor change order 
        process times, with the intent of expediting any change order.
            (5) Expected costs associated with the project.
            (6) A description of construction timelines and milestones 
        association with the project.
            (7) Such other information as the Secretary may require.
    (e) Matching Funds.--The Department of Veterans Affairs shall 
provide matching funds under this program--
            (1) In general.--For any fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
        provide to a non-Federal entity that enters into a partnership 
        agreement with the Secretary under the program established 
        under subsection (a) matching funds in an amount that does not 
        exceed 50 percent of the amount expended by the non-Federal 
        entity.
            (2) Rule of construction.--Paragraph one shall not be 
        construed as a limitation on the amount that may be expended by 
        a non-Federal entity for a fiscal year for a construction 
        project covered by a partnership agreement under the program.
    (f) Comptroller General Report.--The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to Congress a biennial report on the 
partnership agreements entered into under the program.
    (g) Deadline for Implementation.--The Secretary shall begin 
implementing the program under this section by not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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