[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8630-H8631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY AT CARL VINSON DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER
Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 5139) to provide for the conveyance of certain real property at
the Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dublin,
Georgia.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 5139
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN PROPERTY AT THE CARL VINSON
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER,
DUBLIN, GEORGIA.
(a) Conveyance to State Board of Regents.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall convey, without consideration, to the
Board of Regents of the State of Georgia all right, title,
and interest of the United States in and to two tracts of
real property, including any improvements thereon, at the
Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
Dublin, Georgia, consisting of 39 acres, more or less, in
Laurens County, Georgia.
(b) Conveyance to Community Service Board of Middle
Georgia.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall convey,
without consideration, to the Community Service Board of
Middle Georgia all right, title, and interest of the United
States in and to three tracts of real property, including any
improvements thereon, at the Carl Vinson Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dublin, Georgia, consisting
of 58 acres, more or less, in Laurens County, Georgia.
(c) Conditions on Conveyance.--The conveyance under
subsection (a) shall be subject to the condition that the
real property conveyed under that subsection be used in
perpetuity solely for education purposes. The conveyance
under subsection (b) shall be subject to the condition that
the real property conveyed under that subsection be used in
perpetuity solely for education and health care purposes.
(d) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the
real property to be conveyed under this section shall be
determined by a survey or surveys satisfactory to the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The cost of any such survey
shall not be borne by the Secretary.
(e) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs may require such additional terms and
conditions in connection with the conveyances under this
section as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the
interests of the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) each
will control 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
and include extraneous materials on H.R. 5139.
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, H.R. 5139 provides for the conveyance of
certain real property at the Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs
Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia.
Due to changes in the way health care is delivered, the VA has
consolidated its health care in the central part of this large campus
in Dublin. However, it continues to spend hundreds of hours and tens of
thousands of dollars each year to maintain vacant buildings and grounds
on this campus.
The State of Georgia has identified two uses for part of this campus.
One part would be used to expand the Middle Georgia College, a State-
run institution of higher learning. The other
[[Page H8631]]
would be used by the State to expand mental health services to
residents in the Dublin area.
In addition to ridding itself of the annual maintenance costs, the VA
would receive services for veterans and employees from these State-
sponsored institutions.
I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 5139.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5139. The gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Norwood) has brought forth a measure that is a good deal
for the VA, a good deal for veterans, and a great deal for the State of
Georgia. It will allow the VA to gain the benefit from two parcels of
land which are no longer needed.
The first parcel will be conveyed to the State Board of Regents to
expand Middle Georgia College. The second will go to Middle Georgia's
Community Service Board to provide mental health services.
In addition to helping the VA in the cost of maintaining unnecessary
grounds and obsolete buildings, the State will also assume the cost of
remediation of hazardous materials. In exchange, the VA will be able to
provide veterans and its employees with some good new benefits.
Middle Georgia College will provide free tuition and fees to
employees, their spouses, and dependents, and to any veteran receiving
treatment at the Dublin VA Medical Center. It also offers the VA
priority consideration to offer the Board of Regents maintenance and
food services. This may allow the VA to develop new funding streams
that will allow improved health care services for veterans.
I am pleased to lend my support for this measure, and ask my
colleagues to join with me in giving it favorable consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), the author of the bill, to
provide further details on H.R. 5139.
Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin my remarks today by thanking my
colleagues who have been very helpful in bringing this bill to the
floor on the suspension calendar.
The gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Stump) and the ranking member,
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), of the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, have been very helpful to us on this. I thank them and their
staffs.
As has been pointed out, Mr. Speaker, this bill provides for the
conveyance of property from the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in
Dublin, Georgia, to Middle Georgia College and the Community Service
Board of Middle Georgia.
There are many benefits with this transfer of land. The VA obviously
is going to be able to save on the cost of renovating several rundown
old buildings, as well as the maintenance and upkeep costs on those
buildings.
The VA Center employees and patients are going to receive free
tuition and fees to the Middle Georgia College, and free mental health
counseling at a mental health facility that will occupy one of these
buildings that is being transferred.
Probably one of the most important features of this entire bill is
that that property that will be transferred to the university system of
the State of Georgia is going to be used to build a nursing treatment
facility there.
Now, in Middle Georgia it is absolutely a wonderful quality of life,
but it is rural Georgia, and they have a very hard time competing for
nurses, for example, with the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and
Atlanta, Georgia. This is going to give us a nursing facility right
next to the hospital, which is so desperately needed at this particular
VA hospital.
In addition to that, and I am very pleased about this, this is a
perfect example of the government and private citizens working together
to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.
Part of this property goes to the Community Services Board, and the
private citizens of Lawrence County, Dublin, Georgia, have raised over
half a million dollars already to renovate one of the buildings that
will be used for mental health, which later, after it is finished and
completed, will be used for our veterans or their employees. Any of
them that need any of these facilities, it will be made available to
them.
So I am proud of the people of Lawrence County because they are going
to work to do their part to raise the private funds to restore these
buildings that at the present time are frankly draining the VA
Treasury, and are not helping one veteran in Dublin, Georgia.
This move is going to help a great number of veterans by increasing
our nursing staff, by making facilities available to those veterans.
So again, let me thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump), and all who have been involved. I
encourage each of my colleagues to let us please pass this and let
these folks down in Dublin, Georgia, improve the VA Center and improve
their mental health and improve their nursing facilities.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) for his
concurrence in considering this legislation in such a timely manner. I
would also like to commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) for
all his work on this measure, and for pursuing a new and creative use
of VA property to benefit both veterans and the low-income.
{time} 1030
This is a bipartisan measure, and I urge all Members to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). 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. 5139.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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