[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2111 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2111

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the treatment of 
 applications for projects to construct new State homes, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 9, 2017

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the treatment of 
 applications for projects to construct new State homes, 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 ``Veteran State Home Grant Backlog 
Reduction Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF APPLICATIONS FOR PROJECTS TO 
              CONSTRUCT NEW STATE HOMES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The State home construction grants priority list group 
        1 of the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2017 
        contains 57 projects with a cumulative cost of $639,805,081.
            (2) Of those projects, 17 are new construction projects, 
        with a cumulative cost of $445,430,897.
            (3) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has requested between 
        $80,000,000 and $90,000,000 for construction grants for State 
        homes in each annual budget submission to Congress for fiscal 
        years 2013 through 2018.
            (4) Recurring funding shortfalls have created a backlog of 
        outstanding State home projects, averaging six years from 
        receipt of State funds to obligation of Federal funds for new 
        construction projects.
    (b) Modification of Priority of Projects.--
            (1) In general.--Paragraph (3) of section 8135(c) of title 
        38, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as 
                clauses (i) and (ii), respectively;
                    (B) by striking ``In according'' and inserting 
                ``(A) In according''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
    ``(B) In according priorities to projects under paragraph (2) of 
this subsection, the Secretary shall--
            ``(i) prioritize grants for safety, renovation, and bed 
        replacement using the criteria described in subparagraphs (A), 
        (B), (C), (E), and (G) of such paragraph; and
            ``(ii) separately prioritize grants for projects to 
        construct new State homes using the criteria described in 
        subparagraphs (A), (C), (D), (F), (G), and (H) of such 
        paragraph.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) List of approved projects.--Paragraph (4) of 
                such section is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``, in the order of their 
                        priority,'' and inserting ``for safety, 
                        renovation, and bed replacement, in the order 
                        of their priority, and a separate list of 
                        approved projects (including projects that have 
                        been so conditionally approved) to construct 
                        new State homes, in the order of their 
                        priority,''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``the list'' the first 
                        place in appears and inserting ``each such 
                        list''.
                    (B) Deferred applications.--Paragraph (5)(B) of 
                such section is amended by adding before the period at 
                the end the following: ``on the priority list 
                corresponding with the project type to which the 
                deferred application relates''.
                    (C) Increase of grant amount.--Paragraph (7)(A) of 
                such section is amended by striking ``list'' and 
                inserting ``lists''.
    (c) Modification of Budget Submission.--Beginning in fiscal year 
2019, the President shall include in the budget submitted to Congress 
pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, requests 
for funding for projects to construct new State homes that is separate 
and distinct from requests for funding for projects relating to safety, 
renovation, and bed replacement at State homes.
    (d) Plan To Clear Backlog of New Construction Projects.--Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a plan to clear 
the backlog of projects to construct new State homes by September 30, 
2023.
    (e) State Home Defined.--In this section, the term ``State home'' 
has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, United 
States Code.
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