[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1308-S1309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 309. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the 
establishment or collection of parking fees by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs at any parking facility connected with a Department of 
Veterans Affairs medical facility operated under a health-


[[Page S1309]]

care resources sharing agreement with the Department of Defense; to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


               DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LEGISLATION

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I offer a bill to allow the 
Department of Veterans Affairs [VA] to waive fees at joint parking 
facilities with the Department of Defense [DOD].
  Currently, the VA is required to charge its users and employees to 
park at facilities built with special revolving funds. There is no 
exemption to this fee requirement for joint VA/DOD facilities, which 
results in an administrative nightmare for a parking facility in 
Hawaii.
  The VA parking structure at Tripler Army Medical Hospital will be 
shared by VA and DOD. While the law currently requires VA visitors and 
medical staff to pay for parking, DOD visitors and personnel are exempt 
from such a charge.
  Determining who is a VA or DOD visitor to the facility will be 
difficult to administer without creating a bureaucratic ordeal. Under 
the current situation, only VA medical employees at Tripler will be 
required to pay for parking. Visitors, DOD personnel, and VA regional 
employees would not be charged for parking.
  In addition, any VA medical employee who is also a DOD retiree would 
be exempt from the parking charge, because DOD retirees receive free 
parking at DOD facilities.
  Thus, only VA medical personnel who are not DOD retirees will be 
required to pay for parking. The cost to administer this parking fee 
will far outweigh the revenues received. Since parking fees are 
determined by surrounding area facilities and since Tripler is located 
in a residential area, parking fees for the Tripler facility would be 
nominal. Therefore, I am submitting legislation which will allow joint 
VA/DOD parking facilities to be exempt from the current 
statute.
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