[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5766-H5774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR FACILITY PROJECTS AND MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
      LEASES FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, FISCAL YEAR 1997

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3376) to authorize major medical facility projects and major 
medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
fiscal year 1997, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:
       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,
                 TITLE I--CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION  

     SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS.

       (a) Ambulatory Care Addition Projects.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs may carry out the following ambulatory care 
     addition major medical facility projects, with each project 
     to be carried out in the amount specified for that project:
       (1) Addition of ambulatory care facilities for mental 
     health enhancements at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical center in Dallas, Texas, $19,900,000.
       (2) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Brockton, 
     Massachusetts, $13,500,000.
       (3) Addition of ambulatory care facilities for outpatient 
     improvements at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
     center in Shreveport, Louisiana, $25,000,000.
       (4) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Lyons, New 
     Jersey, $21,100,000.
       (5) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah, 
     Wisconsin, $12,700,000.
       (6) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Asheville, 
     North Carolina, in the amount of $28,800,000.
       (7) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Temple, 
     Texas, in the amount of $9,800,000.
       (8) Addition of ambulatory care facilities at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tucson, 
     Arizona, in the amount of $35,500,000.
       (b) Environmental Improvement Projects.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs may carry out the following environmental 
     improvement major medical facility projects, with each 
     project to be carried out in the amount specified for that 
     project:
       (1) Environmental improvements for the renovation of 
     nursing home facilities at the

[[Page H5767]]

     Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Lebanon, 
     Pennsylvania, in the amount of $9,500,000.
       (2) Environmental improvements at the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs medical center in Marion, Illinois, in the 
     amount of $11,500,000.
       (3) Environmental improvements to modernize patient wards 
     at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in 
     Atlanta, Georgia, $28,200,000.
       (4) Environmental improvements for the replacement of a 
     psychiatric bed building at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs medical center in Battle Creek, Michigan, 
     $22,900,000.
       (5) Environmental improvements for ward renovation for 
     patient privacy at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
     center in Omaha, Nebraska, $7,700,000.
       (6) Environmental improvements at the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs medical center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 
     $17,400,000.
       (7) Environmental improvements for the renovation of 
     various buildings at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical center in Waco, Texas, $26,000,000.
       (8) Environmental improvements for the replacement of 
     psychiatric beds at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical center in Marion, Indiana, in the amount of 
     $17,300,000.
       (9) Environmental improvements for the renovation of 
     psychiatric wards at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical center in Perry Point, Maryland, in the amount of 
     $15,100,000.
       (10) Environmental enhancement at the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs medical center in Salisbury, North Carolina, 
     in the amount of $18,200,000.
       (c) Seismic Correction Projects.--The Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs may carry out the following seismic correction major 
     medical facility projects, with each project to be carried 
     out in the amount specified for that project:
       (1) Seismic corrections at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs medical center in Palo Alto, California, in the 
     amount of $36,000,000.
       (2) Seismic corrections at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs medical center in Long Beach, California, in the 
     amount of $20,200,000.
       (3) Seismic corrections at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs medical center in San Francisco, California, 
     $26,000,000.

     SEC. 102. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASES.

       The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into leases for 
     medical facilities as follows:
       (1) Lease of a satellite outpatient clinic in Allentown, 
     Pennsylvania, in an amount not to exceed $2,159,000.
       (2) Lease of a satellite outpatient clinic in Beaumont, 
     Texas, in an amount not to exceed $1,940,000.
       (3) Lease of a satellite outpatient clinic in Boston, 
     Massachusetts, in an amount not to exceed $2,358,000.
       (4) Lease of a parking facility in Cleveland, Ohio, in an 
     amount not to exceed $1,300,000.
       (5) Lease of a satellite outpatient clinic and Veterans 
     Benefits Administration field office in San Antonio, Texas, 
     in an amount not to exceed $2,256,000.
       (6) Lease of a satellite outpatient clinic in Toledo, Ohio, 
     in an amount not to exceed $2,223,000.

     SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 1997--
       (1) for the Construction, Major Projects, account, 
     $422,300,000 for the projects authorized in section 101; and
       (2) for the Medical Care account, $12,236,000 for the 
     leases authorized in section 102.
       (b) Limitation.--The projects authorized in section 101 may 
     only be carried out using--
       (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 1997 pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations in subsection (a);
       (2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects for 
     a fiscal year before fiscal year 1997 that remain available 
     for obligation; and
       (3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects for 
     fiscal year 1997 for a category of activity not specific to a 
     project.

     SEC. 104. REPORT ON HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF VETERANS IN EAST 
                   CENTRAL FLORIDA.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than 60 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 on the 
     health care needs of veterans in east central Florida. In 
     preparing the report, the Secretary shall consider the needs 
     of such veterans for psychiatric and long-term care. The 
     Secretary shall include in the report the Secretary's views, 
     based on the Secretary's determination of such needs, as to 
     the best means of meeting such needs using the amounts 
     appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 
     in this Act and Public Law 103-452 for projects to meet the 
     health care needs of such veterans. The Secretary may, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations for such 
     purpose, use an independent contractor to assist in the 
     determination of such health care needs.
       (b) Limitation.--The Secretary may not obligate any funds, 
     other than for design work, for the conversion of the former 
     Orlando Naval Training Center Hospital in Orlando, Florida 
     (now under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs), to a nursing home care unit until 45 days after the 
     date on which the report required by subsection (a) is 
     submitted.
         TITLE II--STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR HEALTH CARE RESOURCES

     SEC. 201. STRATEGIC PLANNING.

       Section 8107 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
       (2) by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in lieu 
     thereof the following new subsections:
       ``(a) In order to promote effective planning for the 
     efficient provision of care to eligible veterans, the 
     Secretary, based on the analysis and recommendations of the 
     Under Secretary for Health, shall submit to each committee, 
     not later than January 31 of each year, a report regarding 
     long-range health planning of the Department.
       ``(b) Each report under subsection (a) shall include the 
     following:
       ``(1) A five-year strategic plan for the provision of care 
     under chapter 17 of this title to eligible veterans through 
     coordinated networks of medical facilities operating within 
     prescribed geographic service-delivery areas, such plan to 
     include provision of services for the specialized treatment 
     and rehabilitative needs of disabled veterans (including 
     veterans with spinal cord dysfunction, blindness, 
     amputations, and mental illness) through distinct programs or 
     facilities of the Department dedicated to the specialized 
     needs of those veterans.
       ``(2) A description of how planning for the networks will 
     be coordinated.
       ``(3) A profile regarding each such network of medical 
     facilities which identifies--
       ``(A) the mission of each existing or proposed medical 
     facility in the network;
       ``(B) any planned change in the mission for any such 
     facility and the rationale for such planned change;
       ``(C) the population of veterans to be served by the 
     network and anticipated changes over a five-year period and a 
     ten-year period, respectively, in that population and in the 
     health-care needs of that population;
       ``(D) information relevant to assessing progress toward the 
     goal of achieving relative equivalency in the level of 
     resources per patient distributed to each network, such 
     information to include the plans for and progress toward 
     lowering the cost of care-delivery in the network (by means 
     such as changes in the mix in the network of physicians, 
     nurses, physician assistants, and advance practice nurses);
       ``(E) the capacity of non-Federal facilities in the network 
     to provide acute, long-term, and specialized treatment and 
     rehabilitative services (described in section 7305 of this 
     title), and determinations regarding the extent to which 
     services to be provided in each service-delivery area and 
     each facility in such area should be provided directly 
     through facilities of the Department or through contract 
     or other arrangements, including arrangements authorized 
     under sections 8111 and 8153 of this title; and
       ``(F) a five-year plan for construction, replacement, or 
     alteration projects in support of the approved mission of 
     each facility in the network and a description of how those 
     projects will improve access to care, or quality of care, for 
     patients served in the network.
       ``(4) A status report for each facility on progress 
     toward--
       ``(A) instituting planned mission changes identified under 
     paragraph (3)(B);
       ``(B) implementing principles of managed care of eligible 
     veterans; and
       ``(C) developing and instituting cost-effective 
     alternatives to provision of institutional care.''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(d)(1) The Secretary shall submit to each committee, not 
     later than January 31 of each year, a report showing the 
     current priorities of the Department for proposed major 
     medical construction projects. Each such report shall 
     identify the 20 projects, from within all the projects in the 
     Department's inventory of proposed projects, that have the 
     highest priority and, for those 20 projects, the relative 
     priority and rank scoring of each such project. The 20 
     projects shall be compiled, and their relative rankings shall 
     be shown, by category of project (including the categories of 
     ambulatory care projects, nursing home care projects, and 
     such other categories as the Secretary determines).
       ``(2) The Secretary shall include in each report, for each 
     project listed, a description of the specific factors that 
     account for the relative ranking of that project in relation 
     to other projects within the same category.
       ``(3) In a case in which the relative ranking of a proposed 
     project has changed since the last report under this 
     subsection was submitted, the Secretary shall also include in 
     the report a description of the reasons for the change in the 
     ranking, including an explanation of any change in the 
     scoring of the project under the Department's scoring system 
     for proposed major medical construction projects.''.

     SEC. 202. REVISION TO PROSPECTUS REQUIREMENTS.

       (a) Additional Information.--Section 8104(b) of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking out ``shall include--'' and inserting in 
     lieu thereof ``shall include the following:'';
       (2) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) by striking out ``a detailed'' and inserting in lieu 
     thereof ``A detailed''; and

[[Page H5768]]

       (B) by striking out the semicolon at the end and inserting 
     in lieu thereof a period;
       (3) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) by striking out ``an estimate'' and inserting in lieu 
     thereof ``An estimate''; and
       (B) by striking out ``; and'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
     a period;
       (4) in paragraph (3), by striking out ``an estimate'' and 
     inserting in lieu thereof ``An estimate''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(4) Demographic data applicable to the project, including 
     information on projected changes in the population of 
     veterans to be served by the project over a five-year period 
     and a ten-year period.
       ``(5) Current and projected workload and utilization data.
       ``(6) Current and projected operating costs of the 
     facility, to include both recurring and non-recurring costs.
       ``(7) The priority score assigned to the project under the 
     Department's prioritization methodology and, if the project 
     is being proposed for funding ahead of a project with a 
     higher score, a specific explanation of the factors other 
     than the priority that were considered and the basis on which 
     the project is proposed for funding ahead of projects with 
     higher priority scores.
       ``(8) A listing of each alternative to construction of the 
     facility that has been considered.''.
       (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply with respect to any prospectus submitted by the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act.

     SEC. 203. CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS.

       (a) Definition of Major Medical Facility Project.--
     Paragraph (3)(A) of section 8104(a) of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended by striking out ``$3,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$5,000,000''.
       (b) Applicability of Construction Authorization 
     Requirement.--(1) Subsection (b) of section 301 of the 
     Veterans' Medical Programs Amendments of 1992 (Public Law 
     102-405; 106 Stat. 1984) is repealed.
       (2) The amendments made by subsection (a) of such section 
     shall apply with respect to any major medical facility 
     project or any major medical facility lease of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs, regardless of when funds are first 
     appropriated for that project or lease, except that in the 
     case of a project for which funds were first appropriated 
     before October 9, 1992, such amendments shall not apply with 
     respect to amounts appropriated for that project for a fiscal 
     year before fiscal year 1998.
       (c) Limitation on Obligations for Advance Planning.--
     Section 8104 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(f) The Secretary may not obligate funds in an amount in 
     excess of $500,000 from the Advance Planning Fund of the 
     Department toward design or development of a major medical 
     facility project until--
       ``(1) the Secretary submits to the committees a report on 
     the proposed obligation; and
       ``(2) a period of 30 days has passed after the date on 
     which the report is received by the committees.''.

     SEC. 204. TERMINOLOGY CHANGES.

       (a) Definition of ``Construct''.--Section 8101(2) of title 
     38, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking out ``working drawings'' and inserting in 
     lieu thereof ``construction documents''; and
       (2) by striking out ``preliminary plans'' and inserting in 
     lieu thereof ``design development''.
       (b) Parking Facilities.--Section 8109(h)(3)(B) of such 
     title is amended by striking out ``working drawings'' and 
     inserting in lieu thereof ``construction documents''.

     SEC. 205. VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HEADQUARTERS.

       (a) Repeal of Statutory Specification of Organizational 
     Services.--The text of section 7305 of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(a) The Veterans Health Administration shall include the 
     Office of the Under Secretary for Health and such 
     professional and auxiliary services as the Secretary may find 
     to be necessary to carry out the functions of the 
     Administration.
       ``(b) In organizing, and appointing persons to positions 
     in, the Office, the Under Secretary shall ensure that the 
     Office is staffed so as to provide the Under Secretary with 
     appropriate expertise, including expertise in--
       ``(1) unique programs operated by the Administration to 
     provide for the specialized treatment and rehabilitation of 
     disabled veterans (including blind rehabilitation, spinal 
     cord dysfunction, mental illness, and geriatrics and long-
     term care); and
       ``(2) appropriate clinical care disciplines.''.
       (b) Office of the Under Secretary.--Section 7306 of such 
     title is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking out ``and who shall be a qualified doctor 
     of medicine'' in paragraph (2);
       (B) by striking out paragraphs (5), (6), and (7); and
       (C) by redesignating the succeeding two paragraphs as 
     paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by striking out ``subsection (a)(3)'' and all that 
     follows through ``two may be'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
     ``subsection (a)(3), not more than two may be'';
       (B) by striking out the semicolon after ``dental 
     medicines'' and inserting in lieu thereof a period; and
       (C) by striking out paragraphs (2) and (3).
                        TITLE III--OTHER MATTERS

     SEC. 301. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL 
                   CENTER, JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.

       (a) Name.--The Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
     center in Jackson, Mississippi, shall be known and designated 
     as the ``G. V. Sonny Montgomery Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center''. Any reference to such medical 
     center in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or 
     other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a 
     reference to the G. V. Sonny Montgomery Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
       (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall take effect at 
     noon on January 3, 1997, or the first day on which G. V. 
     Sonny Montgomery otherwise ceases to be a Member of the House 
     of Representatives.

     SEC 302. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL 
                   CENTER, JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE.

       (a) Name.--The Mountain Home Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical center in Johnson City, Tennessee, shall after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as 
     the ``James H. Quillen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
     Center''. Any reference to such medical center in any law, 
     regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the 
     United States shall be considered to be a reference to the 
     James H. Quillen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
     Center.
       (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall take effect at 
     noon on January 3, 1997, or the first day on which James H. 
     Quillen otherwise ceases to be a Member of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 303. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NURSING CARE 
                   CENTER, ASPINWALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

       The Department of Veterans Affairs nursing care center at 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in 
     Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, shall after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``H. 
     John Heinz, III Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Care 
     Center''. Any reference to such nursing care center in any 
     law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the 
     United States shall be considered to be a reference to the H. 
     John Heinz, III Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Care 
     Center.

     SEC. 304. RESTORATION OF AUTHORITY FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS RESEARCH 
                   CORPORATIONS.

       Section 7368 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     striking out ``December 31, 1992'' and inserting in lieu 
     thereof ``December 31, 2000''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona [Mr. Stump] and the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery] 
will each be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Stump].


                             general leave

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 3376, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. STUMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes $422 million in VA major 
medical facility construction for fiscal year 1997.
  I want to thank the ranking member of the committee, my good friend, 
Sonny Montgomery, for his work on this measure. I also want to thank 
Tim Hutchinson, chairman of the Hospitals and Health Care Subcommittee, 
and Chet Edwards, the subcommittee's ranking member, for their 
bipartisan approach to this bill.
  Last year, a separate VA construction authorization bill was not 
acted on by the House. The final omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 
year 1996 only partially funded the projects approved by the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs. Approximately, $200 million remained unauthorized 
and unappropriated after final action on the fiscal year 1996 
legislation. H.R. 3376 includes that $200 million project list and adds 
further projects to combine the remaining portion of last year's bill 
into a fiscal year 1997 construction bill.

  I want to point out to Members that this bill does not construct new 
hospitals, or additional new inpatient bed capacity.
  The projects in this bill fall into three main categories, ambulatory

[[Page H5769]]

care additions, patient environment improvements, and seismic 
corrections. These 21 projects come from the top of VA's priority list 
in each category. Over 200 projects were scored and evaluated by the VA 
for the 1997 budget cycle.
  The ambulatory care additions will help the VA shift more rapidly to 
outpatient care as the private sector has. The patient environment 
improvement projects renovate and replace existing, but substandard, 
inpatient capacity. And, the seismic correction projects will help VA 
facilities better withstand earthquakes in areas most prone to 
experience them.
  The bill also makes important improvements in the VA's strategic 
planning process for future evaluation of construction priorities. Tim 
Hutchinson will say more about the bill in his explanation; however, I 
want to point out another very important part of the bill. Title 3 of 
H.R. 3376 renames three VA facilities after very deserving individuals, 
the Honorable G.V. Sonny Montgomery, the Honorable James H. Quillen, 
and the Honorable H. John Heinz III.
  I would like to take the time to lead off the comments about naming 
the VA medical center in Jackson, MS after my closest friend in the 
House, Sonny Montgomery. To say that taking this action enjoys 
unanimous support would actually be quite an understatement. Not taking 
this action would be one of the gravest omissions the 104th Congress 
could possibly make.
  Naming this VA facility after Sonny is fitting recognition to his 
commitment and devotion to our Nation's veterans during 30 years of 
service in the House of Representatives. His record of leadership and 
accomplishment as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
and as a senior member of the Armed Services, now National Security 
Committee, are unparalleled. He has rightfully been called Mr. Veteran, 
and I doubt his standing among our Nation's veterans will ever be 
eclipsed. I am proud to cosponsor this naming bill and to have the 
privilege, as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to bring 
this measure to the floor in honor of this great American.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3376 also renames the VA medical center in Johnson 
City, TN after another true friend of our Nation's veterans, Jimmy 
Quillen. The distinguished gentleman from Tennessee is retiring after 
34 years as a member of this body, during which he has dedicated 
himself to improving access to health care for the citizens of his 
district and State. Those efforts have included the veterans of 
Tennessee and all veterans throughout the country. His support for 
improving care and expanding the facilities at the Johnson City, VA 
medical center are well known.
  I strongly believe Jimmy Quillen's service to veterans warrants this 
action honoring his efforts on their behalf, and was proud to introduce 
H.R. 3320, which is incorporated in the bill before us today. H.R. 3320 
was cosponsored on a bipartisan basis by the entire Tennessee 
delegation and by every Member of the House Veterans' Affairs 
Committee. I want to express my personal thanks to another Member of 
the Tennessee delegation, John Duncan, for his assistance and hard work 
on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, the third naming provision in the bill honors the late 
Senator from Pennsylvania, the Honorable John Heinz. Senator Heinz 
served the people of his State for 20 years in outstanding fashion. His 
tragic death in a plane crash in 1991, prematurely ended the 
congressional service of this Air Force veteran.
  His long time support for our Nation's veterans warrants the action 
we take today, which will change the name of the Aspinwall VA Nursing 
Care Center, to the H. John Heinz, III Department of Veterans Affairs 
Nursing Care Center. I want to thank Representative Mike Doyle, a 
Member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for introducing the original 
bill, H.R. 2760, which was sponsored by the entire Pennsylvania 
delegation.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Arkansas [Mr. Hutchinson] for an explanation of his bill.
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me 
this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3376, bipartisan 
legislation which authorizes major facility projects and major medical 
facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs health care 
system, as well as a number of other important provisions which ensure 
effective strategic planning and management of the Veterans Health 
Administration.
  I would like to thank Chairman Stump, along with the ranking member, 
Sonny Montgomery, and my subcommittee colleague, Chet Edwards, for 
their efforts to meld this bill into an effective piece of legislation 
which addresses the highest priority facility construction needs within 
the VA system.
  H.R. 3376 authorizes the appropriation of $422.3 million for 21 
projects which includes the construction of 8 outpatient clinics, 
renovation of 10 priority patient environment projects, and the 
correction of major seismic problems at 3 California medical centers. 
The legislation also authorizes $12.2 million for six major medical 
facility leases. I would like to strongly reiterate that this 
legislation does not add one hospital bed to the system but instead 
puts the focus on needed improvements for patient privacy, safety, and 
renovation of the valuable infrastructure of aging and often historic 
mental health facilities. Since 1969, the VA health care system has 
closed over 54,000 beds to adjust to the changes in health care and 
this legislation seeks to assist the VA in its continued transition 
from a hospital-based system into a health care system.
  I would like to highlight a very significant provision in this bill 
which requires the VA to develop a 5-year strategic plan for its health 
care system. Within the development of the plan, the VA is required to 
address such factors as veteran population trends, resource 
distribution, cost of patient care, the capacity of non-Federal 
providers within their geographic planning networks, the missions of 
each facility within the network, and specifically, the distribution of 
the important specialized services on both the network and national 
levels. Effective planning will make the VA a more effective and 
efficient provider of quality health services able to better serve 
veterans by placing services where veterans need them.
  Over the years, many of my colleagues and their veteran constituents 
have voiced concerns about the unequal distribution of VA resources. 
This bill represents a significant step in creating parity for veterans 
by requiring VA to compare expenditures of veterans by geographic 
networks and then shifting resources to follow the veteran.
  In strengthening strategic planning the bill also requires that as 
part of the annual authorization process the VA provide a report on the 
top 20 major medical construction projects, the relative of each 
project by category, and a description of the factors that account for 
the rank of each project. In this era of public accountability, it is 
critical that each major expenditure speak to the highest priority 
needs of veterans.
  The bill also raises the threshold for major construction projects 
from the current level of $3 to $5 million. It would also limit the 
scope of the so-called grandfather clause and require that major 
projects be authorized annually to ensure facility need and 
accountability in the major construction program.
  The bill removes the requirement that the Veterans Health 
Administration be organized along certain clinical specialties and 
allows the Under Secretary greater flexibility in the organization of 
the headquarters staff.
  Last and most importantly, this bill honors three great Americans by 
naming VA facilities after them. They are G.V. Sonny Montgomery 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Jackson, MS; the James H. Quillen 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Johnson City, TN and the H. John 
Heinz III Veterans Affairs Nursing Care Center, Aspinwall, PA.
  The rapidly changing health care environment, coupled with our joint 
responsibility to the veteran and the taxpayer, are satisfied by the 
provisions of this legislation. I strongly urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to especially give my personal tribute to the 
gentleman from Mississippi, G.V. Sonny

[[Page H5770]]

Montgomery, a true friend of veterans and no one more deserving of this 
recognition and this honor. My predecessor, a long-time member of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, John Paul Hammerschmidt, regarded Sonny 
as his dearest and closest friend in all of Congress, if not all the 
world. I share that same affection and am glad to pay that honor to him 
today and to support this legislation.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I certainly want to begin by thanking the chairman of the committee, 
the gentleman from Arizona, the Honorable Bob Stump, for bringing this 
bill to the floor and for the very, very kind words that the chairman 
has given me and the gentleman from Tennessee, Jimmy Quillen, and 
former Senator John Heinz.
  I want to point out, Mr. Speaker, that under the leadership of Bob 
Stump, our committee is bipartisan. We work together, we have no 
problems, and, naturally, I would say this is a good bill being brought 
to the floor today.
  I also want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Hospitals 
and Health Care, the gentleman from Arkansas, the Honorable Tim 
Hutchinson, and I am certainly glad that he has considered running for 
the House again and leaving the Senate alone. I think that was the 
right decision.
  Also thanks to the gentleman from Texas, the Honorable Chet Edwards, 
for working together, as I mentioned, in a bipartisan manner for this 
legislation.
  The construction authorization bill, H.R. 3376, is very important in 
that many VA hospitals were built more than 50 years ago, Mr. Speaker, 
and they were not designed for the way health care is provided today. 
Too many of these old patient care buildings have never been upgraded. 
As a result, it is difficult to care for some of the veterans with 
psychiatric problems, the problems with infection control, and 
situations really exist that interfere with good treatment.
  As many of my colleagues are aware, the VA is making many changes in 
its health care system. And the gentleman from Arizona, Chairman Stump, 
and I think it is for the best in making these changes.
  Last week the Washington Post ran a very long article written by Bill 
McAllister about the VA's increased emphasis on primary care and its 
struggle to update its facilities. Millions of veterans continue to 
rely on the VA care. So we need to authorize construction projects to 
fix these old buildings up and make our patient care more convenient.
  The projects included in this bill are at the very top of the VA 
priority list. Rather than adding more hospital beds or, as has been 
said earlier, building more hospitals, these projects expand outpatient 
capacity and renovation of existing hospital space so that the VA can 
provide care in a humane and safe environment and increase the number 
of veterans that they can see on a daily basis.

  Now, Mr. Speaker, the Congress has a record of being very responsive 
to veterans needs. From 1988 to 1995 the Congress appropriated an 
average of $436 million per year for VA major construction, with most 
of this money going for medical construction. With these funds, the VA 
was able to replace, to modernize a number of our 171 hospitals that we 
have across the country, and to open the state-of-the-art outpatient 
centers.
  However, last year, the VA only got $136 million in medical 
construction funds. The amount recommended by the appropriation 
subcommittee for the coming fiscal year is more than that, but it is 
still $200 million less than it should be.
  Last week the house appropriated over $300 million for construction 
for military medical treatment facilities. And, Mr. Speaker, they do 
not have half, even a third, of the medical facilities we have for the 
VA. We have just not provided enough money to keep these veterans' 
facilities in decent shape.
  In addition, the veterans populations is shifting, and we need to try 
to meet that increased demand, especially through opening more 
outpatients clinics. What we are trying to do is maybe get away from 
the big hospitals and have outpatient clinics where we can take care of 
more of the veterans.
  VA had a backlog of high-priority medical construction projects which 
total out at about $3 billion. If we continue at the current pace of 
funding these projects, some of these hospitals will be a pile of 
rubble before we get around to finding the money to renovate them. I 
hope we can fund more funds for the outpatient clinics and other 
projects that our committee is recommending in this legislation. We 
need to fund all of the projects in this bill if we are going to keep 
our word to the veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that a construction authorization bill is 
at last being brought to the floor. This bill represents a good-faith, 
truly bipartisan approach to identifying the most needed major medical 
construction work within the VA health care system. I commend Bob 
Stump, the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for his 
leadership in developing and marking up this bill. I also want to thank 
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Hospitals and Health Care, the 
Honorable Tim Hutchinson, and the ranking member, the Honorable Chet 
Edwards, for their work on this bill.

  In addition to authorizing major medical construction projects for 
fiscal year 1997, this bill would make statutory changes aimed at 
improving the construction planning process. Among these, the bill 
would require VA to develop a strategic planning process and to provide 
Congress annually a detailed report on its planning, to include its 
construction plans. It would also require VA to provide the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs with an annual report identifying by category the 
construction projects which represent its highest priorities for 
funding. Such reporting would assist the committees in developing 
construction authorization legislation. In that regard, one section of 
the bill, which would repeal a grandfather clause, exempting certain 
construction projects from the authorization requirement, has prompted 
a technical question.
  My friend, Vic Fazio, has asked me to clarify the impact that repeal 
would have on the proposed fiscal year 1997 funding of construction 
work on a replacement VA medical center at Travis Air Force Base. In 
adopting a construction authorization requirement, the Congress in 
Public Law 102-405 grandfathered construction projects for which funds 
had been appropriated before the law's enactment, in effect providing 
that the construction authorization requirement would not apply to 
those projects. It is my understanding that the VA's general counsel 
has concluded, based on Congress having provided specific funding for 
the advance planning and design phases of a Martinez replacement 
hospital prior to the enactment of Public Law 102-504, that VA may, 
under the grandfather clause, obligate moneys appropriated for 
constructing a replacement hospital at Travis Air Force Base. Under 
H.R. 3376, the repeal of the grandfather clause would first have 
application with respect to amounts appropriated for fiscal year 1998. 
Accordingly, should Congress appropriate fiscal year 1997 funds for the 
Travis project, nothing in H.R. 3376 would bar VA from obligating those 
fiscal year 1997 funds.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3376 does raise some important issues, beyond the 
specific projects it authorizes. VA is making needed reforms in its 
medical care system, but its physical plant needs work too. In many 
places around the country, VA must provide care in aging facilities 
that need major renovation. Veterans continue to rely on VA care, so we 
can't just let VA hospitals deteriorate. We need to bring old buildings 
up to acceptable patient-care and privacy standards, and strengthen 
inpatient facilities that are vulnerable to earthquakes. We also need 
to give VA the means to lower the cost of care by funding construction 
that would allow VA to replace hospital wards with new space in which 
to provide outpatient care. These are high priority needs, and the VA 
has a large backlog of such priority construction projects totaling $3 
billion. But veterans across the country wait, year after year, in hope 
that Congress will provide the funds needed to address such problems at 
their local VA hospital.
  Members need to know, however, that the fiscal year 1997 VA-HUD 
appropriations bill marked up last week by the Subcommittee on VA, HUD, 
and Independent Agencies will provide funding for only a few of the 
projects which H.R. 3376 would authorize. With only $189 million 
targeted to major medical construction projects under the marked up 
bill, the level of funding is simply inadequate, both with respect to 
the volume of needed construction and in relation to funding levels in 
prior Congresses. From 1988 to 1995, for example, the Congress 
appropriated an annual average of $436 million for VA major 
construction, with most of this money going for medical construction. 
With the substantially reduced levels of VA construction funding in 
this Congress,

[[Page H5771]]

the upshot is that critically needed projects will face years of delay.
  It is particularly important, therefore, that those limited funds 
dedicated to major medical construction for veterans are targeted to 
the most compelling of VA's needs. For that reason, it is very 
disappointing to find moneys earmarked under the proposed fiscal year 
1997 appropriation for projects which VA itself does not support or for 
which there is no compelling priority.
  With the very limited major medical construction funding proposed in 
the subcommittee's bill, and apparent differences over what constitute 
construction priorities, there is little prospect of making any 
significant dent in VA's huge construction backlog. It is illuminating, 
however, to examine the kinds of projects which the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee determined to have the most compelling need for funding and 
which will go unfunded for another year. They include situations in 
which:
  Patients referred to a specialty VA psychiatric treatment center are 
hospitalized in buildings constructed in the 1920's which lack adequate 
ventilation, air conditioning, handicapped facilities, and elevators, 
and which do not provide a suitable environment for patients with acute 
psychiatric behavior. To be replaced with construction of a new 
psychiatric care building at a cost of $24.3 million--Battle Creek, MI.
  Structural problems in the design of 50-year-old patient care 
buildings, which also do not meet fire, life-safety, and disabled-
access requirements, at a major medical facility render them especially 
vulnerable to an earthquake. Requiring correction at cost of $20.2 
million--Long, Beach, CA.
  VA treats veterans in a 1940-vintage building with such inadequate 
space that outpatient care areas are congested, chaotic, lack a 
designated emergency room, and provide inadequate patient privacy. 
Requiring construction of an ambulatory care addition at a cost of 
$12.7 million--Tomah, WI.
  Veterans are hospitalized for psychiatric problems under cramped 
conditions in a 1930's-vintage building constructed for tuberculosis 
patients at a major VA center. Requiring construction of a mental 
health addition at a cost of $19.7 million--Dallas, TX.
  The space within which a 40-year-old major urban medical facility can 
provide ambulatory care is 62 percent deficient of its real needs 
resulting in inadequate number of treatment rooms, undue delays in 
scheduling appointments, treatment rooms scattered over three floors, 
insufficient waiting areas, and critical shortage of storage space, in 
addition to noncompliance with standards governing ventilation and 
handicapped access. Requiring construction of an ambulatory care 
addition and hospital renovations at a cost of $13.5 million--Brockton, 
MA.
  Patient wards in a more than 30-year-old major metropolitan hospital 
suffer from severe space, functional and technical deficiencies 
including lack of sufficient fire sprinklers, infection-control 
problems associated with lack of private toilet and shower facilities, 
inadequate facilities for female patients, and lack of handicapped 
accessibility. Requiring ward modernization at a cost of $29.5 
million--Atlanta, GA.
  In my view, Mr. Speaker, these are compelling needs, and it is 
distressing that sufficient funds are not being allocated to meet them. 
Veterans will find this difficult to understand in light of the 
subcommittee's reversal on a project it rejected last year. The 
subcommittee reported last year that it could not fund the proposed 
replacement hospital at Travis Air Force Base ``because of the 
budgetary situation--both present and anticipated in the future'', and 
instead fiscal year 1996 funds were appropriated for an outpatient 
clinic at Travis. The subcommittee has now reversed course and has 
proposed partial funding of the Travis hospital construction project.
  If the gloomy budget situation which appeared to have doomed the 
Travis project last year has in fact brightened sufficiently to permit 
an about-face, then it surely must mean there is sufficient flexibility 
to fund some of the compelling projects I have cited above.
  Given the state of the infrastructure at many of VA's medical 
centers, veterans will be troubled by appropriations' subcommittee's 
decisions to fund major construction for a second year at levels more 
than $200 million below prior-year funding. If the appropriations' 
subcommittee's recommendations were to be adopted, major medical 
construction funding for the two sessions of the 104th Congress would 
total only $336 million, in contrast with a total of $869 million 
appropriated for VA major medical construction during the 103d 
Congress.
  Veterans will rightly question the depths of these cuts. It is not 
enough to increase VA medical care funding; veterans should not be 
asked to receive care in substandard half-century old VA facilities or 
to wait patiently as needed renovations are deferred year after year. 
There is clearly no Federal-wide plan to slash construction spending. 
The fiscal year 1997 military construction appropriations bill, for 
example, provides more than $300 million for military hospital and 
medical projects; yet the number of DOD tertiary care treatment 
facilities is far smaller than the number of VA tertiary care 
facilities. Our commitment to America's veterans requires that we treat 
them with dignity. We fail in that duty when we tolerate their 
receiving care in facilities which no longer meet safety codes, are 
overcrowded, or deny them the degree of privacy we would want for 
ourselves.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Tennessee [Mr. Duncan].
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be the original sponsor of the request 
to name the Veterans' Hospital in Johnson City, TN, after our 
colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Quillen].
  I am very grateful to the outstanding chairman of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee for including this provision in his legislation which 
we are taking up today. It is primarily due to the gentleman from 
Arizona, Chairman Stump, that this action has moved through the process 
so expeditiously.
  Congressman Jimmy Quillen was first elected to the House in 1962. He 
served for 8 years prior to that in the Tennessee State house.
  For 42 years, he has been elected, every 2 years, to a legislative 
office by the people of upper east Tennessee. He has never lost an 
election, primarily because he served his people well, and he never got 
too big for his britches or let his position go to his head.
  He has now achieved the record for the longest continuous service of 
any Tennessean ever to serve in Congress. Congressman Quillen is 
certainly a living legend. He came up the hard way, 1 of 10 children, 
in what was considered poverty even many years ago. As he has said, he 
was poor, but did not know it, because he came from a good and loving 
family.
  He has achieved great success, both in business and in politics. At 
one time he was the youngest newspaper publisher in the State of 
Tennessee, and he started one of the most successful insurance agencies 
in our State. Jimmy Quillen served this Nation with honor in the U.S. 
Navy. He has always had a special place in his heart for our country's 
veterans, and he has fought hard to protect and support the Veterans' 
Hospital in Johnson City.
  On a personal note, for almost 32 of the 34 years, Jimmy Quillen has 
been in Congress, he has served alongside someone named Duncan, first 
my father, and now me. He was one of my father's closest friends, and 
they worked together for almost 24 years.
  I am now in my 8th year in the House, and during that time, as 
several people have noticed, Jimmy Quillen has treated me almost like a 
son. He has been so kind and helpful to me, as he has been to countless 
thousands in his district and throughout this Nation.
  I can think of no honor more well-deserved, no honor more fitting and 
appropriate, than to name the Veterans' Hospital at Johnson City after 
a truly great American, Congressman James H. Quillen.
  Mr. Speaker, while I am up, I would like to also commend the 
gentleman from Arizona, Chairman Stump, as the chairman of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for naming the medical facility in 
Jackson, MS, after another great American Congressman, the gentleman 
from Mississippi, Sonny Montgomery, one of the finest and one of the 
most popular Members in this Congress.
  He has achieved a record that not many people could match in his 30 
years of service in this Congress. Another close friend of our family, 
Congressman Sonny Montgomery, is one of the finest men that any of us 
could ever meet, and I am pleased that that facility will be named 
after Congressman Montgomery.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Horn].
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I commend particularly the gentleman from 
Arizona, Chairman Stump, and the gentleman from Mississippi, former 
Chairman Montgomery, for this excellent bill that they have encouraged 
their colleagues to report to the floor.

[[Page H5772]]

  Along with many other worthy projects in this legislation, over $20 
million is authorized for seismic corrections in the Long Beach 
Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Long Beach VA Medical 
Center has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing a top-notch 
and first class diverse range of services not only to veterans in Long 
Beach, but also to veterans throughout southern California.
  One of the VA's largest single division tertiary care medical 
centers, the Long Beach VA Medical Center has achieved national 
prominence in the field of spinal cord injury and the rehabilitation of 
paraplegics and quadriplegics. Long Beach's VA Medical Center has also 
been a leader in health care innovation and in cost containment. The 
entire VA medical system has benefited from a cost accounting package 
developed at the Long Beach center.
  The Center's efforts to improve efficiency serve as an example to 
hospitals throughout the United States. The seismic corrections funding 
authorized in H.R. 3376 will allow the Center to continue its state-of-
the-art research and the excellent care it provides to its patients.
  I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of the VA construction 
authorization bill not because the Long Beach VA Medical Center is in 
it, but for the many other very worthy centers which are being 
upgraded.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas].
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, the tribute paid today by the speakers thus far to our 
colleagues Jimmy Quillen and Sonny Montgomery are well deserved and 
ones in which I join because they, too, have been personal friends and 
longstanding servants of this House as well as their own 
constituencies.
  I want to rise now to add to their names one other hero who has been 
mentioned here today, John Heinz, after whom one of the facilities 
contained in this bill will be named. John Heinz at the very moment of 
his death was literally killed in the line of duty, was concerning 
himself on a trip to further the interests of his investigation into 
Medicare fraud and other health care abuses, all in the genre of the 
issues in which he was involved from the very first day he began to 
serve in this very House before he went to the U.S. Senate. He was a 
hero to many Pennsylvanians, to all Pennsylvanians and to all those who 
remember him who are now Members of this Congress.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, last week the appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and 
Independent Agencies marked up its bill for the coming fiscal year. 
There are substantial differences between the spending priorities they 
arrived at and what is in this bill. Hopefully we can reach a consensus 
on construction as well as other areas of the appropriation bills that 
do not match up with the priorities on the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3376.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the gentleman from Tennessee and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania for their very, very kind remarks about 
Jimmy Quillen and John Heinz and myself. We think we did the best we 
could on this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.
  The gentleman from Arkansas mentioned his predecessor John Paul 
Hammerschmidt, who is a good friend of mine. Mr. Hammerschmidt and I 
served for a number of years together on the Veterans' Committee, 
including three Congresses during which he served as the ranking 
minority member while I served as chairman. Mr. Hammerschmidt was an 
outstanding member of this committee and the House of Representatives. 
All of the veterans' organizations admired him and praised his service 
on behalf of veterans, and he gave me wise counsel on numerous 
occasions during our service together on the Veterans' Committee.
  I also want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Duncan] for 
his remarks. As he said, his family and mine are very close friends.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
bill. The Veterans Health Administration is a model of our national 
commitment to honor our debts. It must be preserved. For that to 
happen, it must be allowed to change with the rest of the health care 
industry. One of the most significant changes in our Nation's health 
care delivery in recent years has been the movement to increased 
reliance on ambulatory care. For the VHA to keep pace with this welcome 
change, requires capital improvement. This bill today addresses some of 
those needs.
  Specifically the Veterans' Affairs Committee approved a $21.1 million 
grant for Lyons Medical Center in Lyons, NJ. The grant provides funding 
for an ambulatory care unit.
  This is great news for New Jersey vets. The Lyons' ambulatory care 
unit will take us into the next century as a state-of-the-art health 
care facility. It's an improvement that is long overdue.
  In the past, the veterans' hospital would require overnight stays for 
minor surgery that would have been outpatient surgery elsewhere. The 
ambulatory care unit will allow veterans to go in and out of the 
hospital in one day, eliminating the added burden of overnight stays.
  With the recent merger of Lyons and East Orange VA Medical Centers, 
this is truly a sign that Lyons is a well-respected and much-needed 
facility. This grant ensures that Lyons will continue to offer state-
of-the-art health care and will keep its important place in the VA 
health care delivery system of New Jersey.
  Finally Mr. Speaker, I also rise to congratulate Mr. Montgomery, a 
true gentleman and leader when it comes to fighting for veterans. It 
has always been a pleasure to work for veterans as a member of the 
House Veterans' Affairs Committee. Over the years it has always been 
clear that a unique bipartisan spirit has prevailed there. That spirit 
has arisen from the shared commitment of the vast majority of the 
members of the committee to honor our obligations to our veterans 
first. Mr. Montgomery, by his tireless service to the committee has 
nurtured that bipartisan spirit. Our success has been largely 
attributable to his fine service and leadership here and we will miss 
him.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3376. In 
particular, I am pleased that the bill authorizes $15.1 million for 
major renovations at the Perry Point Medical Center in Maryland.
  The project will focus on renovating and reconfiguring the patient 
rooms in the psychiatric nursing units in order to improve patient 
privacy. Two of the buildings involved in the project were built in 
1935 and this project will meet disability accessibility requirements 
and upgrade and modernize the facility's utilities. Additionally, this 
legislation will instruct the Veterans' Administration to meet space 
planning criteria and standards set by the Joint Commission on 
Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
  The Perry Point VA Medical Center provides excellent extended and 
psychiatric care to veterans throughout the State of Maryland as well 
as the mid-Atlantic region who have served our Nation so ably in the 
name of freedom and democracy. Perry Point, along with the VA medical 
center at Baltimore and the other facilities included in the Chesapeake 
network, provide specialty services to tens of thousands of veterans 
each year.
  Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise with my colleagues in 
support of this measure which embodies a bipartisan commitment to 
providing the best services for our Nation's veterans.
  Veterans from throughout the Fifth Congressional District and the 
State of Maryland will be better served as a result of this legislation 
and the ensuing improvements at the Perry Point VA Medical Center and I 
am pleased to rise with my colleagues today in support of H.R. 3376.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3376 
VA Major Construction Authorization and Major Medical Leases Act.
  In recent years the health care industry has been de-emphasizing 
hospitals in favor of outpatient care facilities. Modern medicine has 
successfully demonstrated that many medical services are more 
efficiently performed on an outpatient basis.
  This legislation will help the VA adjust to these new dynamics as it 
encourages a trend toward more ambulatory care construction projects.
  With the recent opening of a clinic in Rockland County, my district 
has firsthand experience in observing the benefits of outpatient care.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will benefit veterans by providing care 
in a more efficient manner which is also flexible enough to meet their 
future needs.
  Mr. EVERETT. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs and chairman of the Compensation, Pension, Insurance 
and Memorial Affairs subcommittee, I am happy to rise today in support 
of H.R. 3376 authorizing major medical facility projects

[[Page H5773]]

and major medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans 
Affairs for fiscal year 1997.
  H.R. 3376 demonstrates strong bipartisan support for carrying out 
this country's unfailing commitment to our veterans. Recognizing the 
inevitable shift from expensive inpatient care to more cost effective 
primary and outpatient care, this legislation authorizes spending for 
the VA's medical facilities construction projects. The committee's 
action continues to stress the importance of providing services for 
veterans in an environment that is not only more convenient and more 
cost effective, but improves the quality of care through increased 
access to routine outpatient treatment and preventative health 
services.
  I would especially like to recognize the foresight of the committee 
for the inclusion of directive report language authorizing the 
Secretary to establish an ambulatory care access point in Dothan, AL. 
The days of large vertically integrated hospitals as the primary mode 
of health care delivery are gone. Rather, in order to provide more 
effective and quality health care, the VA must be more flexible in 
bringing VA services to the veteran.
  Such projects, like the much-needed community-based access point in 
Dothan, AL, are small in scale and do not require committee 
authorization or further appropriation of funds. However, the need for 
these small scaled projects is compelling given the lack of access to 
veteran's health care in many rural areas across the country. 
Currently, the more than 38,350 veterans reside within a 50-mile radius 
of Dothan are forced to travel 100 miles or more to the nearest VA 
medical center. The long and sometimes difficult trip back home after 
treatment is often impossible and warrants overnight lodging.
  The establishment of a community-based access point in Dothan will 
provide routine, preventative and emergency outpatient medical services 
to the veterans in the southeast region of Alabama without requiring 
the construction of a large and costly inpatient facility. The quality 
of care for veterans in my district and in the surrounding areas of 
Alabama, Georgia, and Florida will improve significantly, while the 
cost for caring for these veterans will, most likely, prove more 
effective.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, because the other body failed to take up the 
fiscal year 1996 construction authorization, it is incumbent upon the 
upper Chamber that they consider this legislation so that our veterans 
are not deprived of the care they deserve.
  I thank my friend, Mr. Hutchinson, chairman of the Hospitals and 
Health Care Subcommittee, and I thank my good friend, Chairman Stump, 
for fostering greater opportunities for veterans in many regions of the 
country where it is prohibitive for veterans to travel to the nearest 
VA facility for care.
  I stand in acknowledgment of their leadership on behalf of our 
nation's veterans and, I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.
  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H.R. 3376, a bill of great 
importance to our Nation's veterans.
  I want to begin by thanking Chairman Stump for the leadership he has 
shown. In politics, there is never going to be an unanimity, but he has 
done a great job in addressing any issues that have arisen in our 
committee. He has gone out of his way to make sure that every member of 
the committee, regardless of party affiliation, has had an opportunity 
to help shape our legislative product. As a freshman in the minority, I 
want to say that the House Veterans' Affairs Committee should serve as 
a model to other chairmen as how to run a committee.
  Also, I want to express my most heartfelt appreciation for the 
opportunity to work alongside the man they call Mr. Veteran--Sonny 
Montgomery. I just want to say to Sonny that it has been an honor to 
serve alongside you, and I consider it an awesome privilege to have 
been your colleague on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  In this bill, we are naming the VA medical center in Jackson, MI, 
after the former chairman--and I just want to let the chairman know 
that while members might come and go from this Chamber, that a good 
name lasts forever. I think it is safe to say that the name of Sonny 
Montgomery is a good name.
  There are many reasons to support this bill. Of all our commitments 
to those who served in our Nation's armed forces, none is more 
important than the guarantee of health care. For those Members who do 
not think there is a difference between the medical needs of veterans 
and those of the general public, I invite you to take a tour of a VA 
hospital with me. I guarantee that you will come away with a much 
different view of veterans' medical care. We must realize that private 
hospitals would never provide the type of patient care that is provided 
by VA hospitals as they could never make it profitable.
  The underpinning of the VA health care system is maintaining the 
physical facilities needed to provide adequate service. Even in this 
difficult budgetary climate, veterans medical facilities construction 
must remain a high priority. Thus, I urge members to support this bill, 
and to support appropriations in this area when the VA-HUD bill comes 
to the floor later this Spring.
  There are two parts of H.R. 3376 I want to highlight.
  First, this bill has incorporated H.R. 2760, my bill to name the 
nursing care facility at the VA hospital in Aspinwall, PA, after the 
late Senator John Heinz.
  The Heinz family is one of the most notable in Pennsylvania, and 
Senator Heinz' commitment to public service was a tremendous example to 
many of us in western Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, he was taken from us 
too soon when his plane crashed outside Philadelphia 5\1/2\ years ago.
  During his time in Congress, John Heinz had many accomplishments, too 
many to try to list. However, as far as the people in and around 
Pittsburgh are concerned, one of his greatest contributions to our 
community was his leadership in the making the Aspinwall Veterans 
Hospital a reality.
  Some may think that it is hyperbole to say that the construction of a 
veterans hospital is a great event to a region as populous as 
Pittsburgh. Those people obviously do not know a lot about Pittsburgh.
  Ever since I can remember, my life has focused on veterans' issues, 
and their role in the Pittsburgh community. As I have often mentioned 
in this committee, I would not be here today if it wasn't for the 
benefits my family received from the VA in return for my father's 
service. These benefits were not without a steep price, because of the 
wounds my father received in combat, his life was made shorter than it 
should be.
  My family and I are not unique. Throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, 
young men and women have served in our Nation's Armed Forces at a 
greater rate than almost anywhere. They and their families have counted 
on the VA to be there for them, and the VA has almost always been 
there. As those who served in World War II and Korea grew older, and 
their numbers were augmented by those who went to Vietnam, the needs 
for veterans services, especially health care, grew considerably in 
western Pennsylvania.
  It was Senator Heinz, a native of Pittsburgh, who recognized that 
veterans in our area were being underserved, and that the situation 
would only get worse without decisive action. From his seat on the 
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing, and 
Independent Agencies, he made the construction of the hospital in 
Aspinwall his No. 1 priority.
  Today, throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia, 
countless veterans are having their health care needs met thanks to the 
efforts of John Heinz. I think it is only fitting that he receive this 
posthumous tribute to his good work. And I am not alone in this belief, 
as H.R. 2760 was cosponsored by all of my 20 colleagues in the 
Pennsylvania delegation, including Congressmen Mascara and Fox who 
serve with us on this committee.
  This legislation is supported by the Pennsylvania chapters of all the 
congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organizations. I have 
letters here from each of them, which I will include for the Record at 
the appropriate point.
  I want to thank the American Legion of Pennsylvania and, in 
particular, Department Adjutant Stanley Reinhardt for bringing this 
idea to my attention.
  I also want to express my support for the authorization for 
environmental improvements at the University Drive VA Hospital, located 
in the Oakland section of the city of Pittsburgh.
  Mr. Speaker, I could describe in graphic detail the conditions that 
currently exist at these wards at University Drive, but I do not 
believe that it is appropriate subject matter for the floor of the 
House of Representatives. I hope it will suffice to say that this 
action is needed to allow each nursing unit at University Drive to meet 
current VA standards for life-safety, patient privacy, and handicapped 
accessibility. Also, there is a need to meet the needs resulting from 
the increasing number of female veterans requiring care.
  The main building of University Drive was constructed in 1954, and 
has gone unchanged since. With the passage of time, this has produced 
numerous space, functional, and technical deficiencies in meeting the 
specifications of today's health care standards.
  The importance of University Drive goes well beyond the boundaries of 
the City of Pittsburgh. It is the tertiary care, medical/surgical 
referral facility for the 65-county Western Pennsylvania Network, and 
is the National DVA Referral Center for Liver Transplantation. This 
project is essential to maintaining this hospital's capability to meet 
the needs of the 380,000 veterans in Allegheny County, as well as those 
throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia who rely on 
the services provided by University Drive.
  As a supporter of the constitutional balanced budget amendment that 
passed the

[[Page H5774]]

House last year, I understand that we need to be extremely scrupulous 
in how we spend money. Even when there is a clear need that could be 
funded, we must determine whether or not something has to be funded. 
Keeping that admonition in mind, I hasten to point out that in the DVA 
internal rating for major construction projects, the University Drive 
project scored 19.8--out of a highest possible score of 19.8. For your 
consideration, I have attached a copy of this analysis. There is no way 
in which this project could have been rated any higher of a priority.
  In conclusion, this bill is in the best interests of the people of 
Pennsylvania and the Nation as a whole, and I urge Members to support 
it.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3376, and 
commend Chairmen Stump and Hutchinson for their efforts to bring this 
bill to the floor.
  This bill represents another step toward addressing the disparity 
that has impacted many of Florida's veterans. Although the overall 
veterans population is declining, Florida's increases daily as more and 
more veterans move into the Sunshine State. Florida has the highest 
concentration of elderly veterans of any State, the second highest 
number of veterans of all ages, and the third highest concentration of 
wartime veterans. Last fiscal year, despite the fact that Florida 
facilities received the highest number of applications for medical care 
by service-connected veterans in the Nation, we continued to receive 
fewer funds than California, New York, and Texas--each with less 
demands on their systems.
  Despite our leading veterans population, Florida has continued to 
receive far less than its fair share of funding for VA medical 
services. As a result, veterans that can receive care in other parts of 
the country that do not have such high veteran-to-facility ratios can 
find themselves turned away from more crowded facilities in Florida. 
These disparities must end.
  This House has taken steps to address shortfalls in veterans medical 
care, by proposing a 13 percent increase in funding for VA medical care 
in fiscal year 1996, and moving forward on our plan to spend $339 
million more on veterans health care over 7 years than the President 
has proposed. This construction bill represents the next step by the 
new Republican Congress to honor our Nation's commitment to its 
veterans.
  Most important to veterans in my community, the bill directs the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study the best means of meeting the 
health care needs of veterans in east central Florida. There has been 
considerable controversy about what needs exist, and how to best meet 
them. One option may be to operate the former Orlando Naval Training 
Center Hospital as a veterans medical facility. The first floor of this 
five-story facility is already serving the 200,000 veterans in its 
service area as an outpatient clinic, drawing veterans from across east 
central Florida. The additional floors contain some of the most 
advanced impatient care facilities--including intensive care units, 
critical operating rooms, inpatient beds, and an efficient food 
delivery service--in any private, public, or veterans hospital in 
Florida. Incredibly, Secretary Brown has proposed to destroy these 
facilities, and spend money to fill the space with nursing home beds.
  I do not dispute the need for additional long-term care in Florida, 
and will support various efforts to make this option available to our 
veterans. As stated, our State has the highest number of elderly 
veterans in the country. But spending scarce health care dollars to 
effectively destroy a fully functional, state-of-the-art hospital--
especially when such facilities are so needed in east central Florida--
makes absolutely no sense, especially when a completely separate 
nursing home facility could be built without sacrificing the hospital 
for almost the same amount of money.
  The committee has directed that this report must examine the need to 
include acute inpatient services, such as those provided by the Orlando 
facility, as well as psychiatric and long-term services. It is my hope 
that the report required by this legislation will illustrate other 
options to best meet the health care needs of veterans in east central 
Florida.
  Last year, this Congress approved funding to construct another badly 
needed outpatient clinic in Brevard County. This means that after years 
of delay, Brevard County veterans will finally be able to receive 
needed ambulatory care close to home. I commend this Congress' action, 
and specifically praise the efforts of my colleague, Congressman Dave 
Weldon, for finally succeeding in bringing additional veterans health 
care facilities to east central Florida.
  Relief is on the way for veterans in Florida, and this legislation 
certainly moves us forward in that struggle. New facilities are being 
built, older ones are being re-engineered to meet new needs, and wide 
gaps in service-areas may finally be filled as a result of this 
committee's past efforts and future plans. I commend the committee and 
this House for working to repay the debt of our Nation owes its 
veterans, and helping to correct some of the imbalances that have left 
veterans in Florida in need of such greater attention.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Montgomery 
for the time to speak today and for your leadership, as well as that of 
Chairman Stump, in seeing this bill through the legislative process.
   Mr. Speaker, colleagues, this bill addresses some urgent needs among 
our Nation's veterans' medical facilities and I rise in strong support 
of the legislation and urge its swift approval.
  The $434 million authorized by this legislation is perhaps some of 
the most important money that we will be discussing on this floor, for 
it will be spent ensuring that the men and women who put their lives on 
the line for our Nation will be adequately taken care of once they have 
left service.
  This money renovates, upgrades and, where needed, expands current 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities to ensure that the 
needs of our former servicemen and women are met.
  One project of particular importance to me and my constituents in the 
37th Congressional District is the seismic upgrading of the VA medical 
center in Long Beach, CA.
  This bill provides $20.2 million to allow the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to bring three of the buildings at the Long Beach facility up 
to code in terms of earthquake safety, fire safety, mechanical and 
electrical safety, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities 
Act.
  The buildings receiving these improvements are all over 50 years old 
and in serious need of repair.
  Specifically, the three buildings to be improved house important 
operational and various support services critical to monitoring the 
health and welfare of our veterans.
  Without these repairs the buildings, all of which were built in 1943, 
are in grave danger. The facilities are very close to the Newport-
Inglewood Fault Zone, which is considered active and capable of 
generating an earthquake of magnitude 7.0.
  The VA has testified that there is no other medical facility in Long 
Beach large enough to meet the VA's needs, and it is expected that the 
major functions of this Medical Center will remain the same under the 
proposed Veterans Integrated Service Network.
  In short, this is an important facility to the veterans residing in 
the Long Beach area and it is therefore incumbent upon us to ensure 
that it meets the basic safety codes of the area.
  It is for this reason that these seismic repairs were included in the 
President's fiscal year 1997 budget request and that the Department of 
Veterans' Affairs Undersecretary for Health, Mr. Kenneth Kizer, 
testified in support of these repairs as recently as March.
  Without these repairs, we are placing the lives of our Nation's 
veterans, as well as the lives of those who serve them, in grave 
danger.
  I would submit to my colleagues that our veterans deserve better than 
this, and I am pleased to see that the committee agrees with this 
assessment.
  I look forward to working with you, Congressman Montgomery, and with 
Chairman Stump, to see that the wisdom of the committee is followed and 
that the veterans who use the Long Beach facilities are not placed in 
harm's way.
  In closing, I would like to commend the committee for deciding to 
name the medical center in Jackson, MS after our esteemed colleague 
from Meridian, Mr. Montgomery. Although I have only had the honor of 
serving with him for a little over a month, I appreciate the work that 
he has done for our veterans and share the committee's view that it is 
befitting to bestow such an honor in naming a veteran's medical center 
in his honor in his home State.
  So, once again, I rise in support of this important legislation and I 
urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Upton). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Stump] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3376, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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