[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 65 (Monday, May 20, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2614-H2617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS' MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION ACT OF 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4514) to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to carry out construction projects for the purpose of 
improving, renovating, and updating patient care facilities at 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4514

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Major Medical 
     Facilities Construction Act of 2002''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS.

       The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the 
     following major medical facility projects, with each project 
     to be carried out in an amount not to exceed the amount 
     specified for that project:
       (1) Seismic corrections at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, California, as follows:
       (A) Building Number 2, $14,020,000.
       (B) Building Number 4, $21,750,000.
       (2) Seismic correction at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, 
     $31,000,000.
       (3) Seismic correction at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center, West Los Angeles, California, 
     $27,200,000.
       (4) Seismic correction and clinical improvement at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach, 
     California, $24,600,000.
       (5) Seismic correction for Building Number 1 at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, 
     California, $47,100,000.
       (6) Ambulatory Surgery and Clinical Consolidation at the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, 
     Ohio, $32,500,000.

[[Page H2615]]

       (7) Consolidation of Department of Veterans Affairs and 
     Department of Defense health and benefits offices, Anchorage 
     Alaska, $59,000,000.
       (8) Ward Renovation at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut, $15,300,000.
       (9) Ambulatory Care Expansion at the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center, Tampa, Florida, $18,230,000.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF A MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASE.

       The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into a lease 
     for a Satellite Outpatient Clinic, Charlotte, North Carolina, 
     in an amount not to exceed $2,626,000.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2003--
       (1) for the Construction, Major Projects, account 
     $285,000,000 for the projects authorized in section 2; and
       (2) for the Medical Care account, $2,626,000 for the lease 
     authorized in section 3.
       (b) Limitation.--The projects authorized in section 2 may 
     only be carried out using--
       (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2003 pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations in subsection (a);
       (2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
     for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2003 that remain 
     available for obligation; and
       (3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
     for fiscal year 2003 for a category of activity not specific 
     to a project.

     SEC. [4.] 5. INCREASE IN THRESHOLD FOR MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
                   CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

       (a) Increase in Threshold.--Section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 
     38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``$4,000,000'' 
     and inserting ``$6,000,000''.
       (b) Applicability to Projects Already Funded.--The 
     amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to 
     any facility project of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
     except for a project for which the Secretary obligated funds 
     before October 1, 2002.

     SEC. [5.] 6. CRITERIA FOR MINOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

       Section 8103 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Purpose of Minor Construction Projects.--In selecting 
     medical facilities (including research facilities) for 
     projects under subsection (a) other than major medical 
     facility projects subject to section 8104 of this title, the 
     Secretary [shall] shall, to the extent practicable, select 
     projects to improve, replace, renovate, or update facilities 
     to achieve one or more of the following:
       ``(1) Seismic protection improvements related to patient 
     safety (or, in the case of a research facility, patient or 
     employee safety).
       ``(2) Fire safety improvements.
       ``(3) Improvements to utility systems and ancillary patient 
     care facilities (including such systems and facilities that 
     may be exclusively associated with research facilities).
       ``(4) Improved accommodation for persons with disabilities, 
     including barrier-free access.
       ``(5) Improvements at patient care facilities to 
     specialized programs of the Department, including the 
     following:
       ``(A) Blind rehabilitation centers.
       ``(B) Inpatient and residential programs for seriously 
     mentally ill veterans, including mental illness research, 
     education, and clinical centers.
       ``(C) Residential and rehabilitation programs for veterans 
     with substance-use disorders.
       ``(D) Physical medicine and rehabilitation activities.
       ``(E) Long-term care, including geriatric research, 
     education, and clinical centers, adult day care centers, and 
     nursing home care facilities.
       ``(F) Amputation care, including facilities for 
     prosthetics, orthotics programs, and sensory aids.
       ``(G) Spinal cord injury centers.
       ``(H) Traumatic brain injury programs.
       ``(I) Women veterans' health programs (including 
     particularly programs involving privacy and accommodation for 
     female patients).
       ``(J) Facilities for hospice and palliative care 
     programs.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4514, as amended, the 
Veterans' Major Medical Facilities Construction Act of 2002. I want to 
commend the distinguished chairman of our subcommittee for authoring 
this very important piece of legislation.
  H.R. 4514, as amended, Mr. Speaker, would authorize $285 million in 
major medical appropriations for 10 construction projects at VA health 
care facilities, and would also authorize a capital lease at the VA 
outpatient clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the outset, let me 
remind my colleagues that we included funding in the budget resolution 
that was approved in March to cover the costs of this much-needed 
construction.
  Mr. Speaker, last year this body passed H.R. 811, the Veterans 
Hospital Emergency Repair Act, to provide emergency funding to VA 
health care and research facilities for repairs and renovations. H.R. 
811 would have provided $550 million over 2 years to make needed 
repairs at the VA hospitals where patient safety could be compromised, 
such as for seismic dangers. Under that legislation, the decision of 
which projects would be funded was left to the Secretary with the 
advice of an expert panel. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Senate has 
not acted on this measure and as a consequence, VA's health care 
infrastructure continues to deteriorate, which is unacceptable.
  Mr. Speaker, a recent PriceWaterhouse study estimated that the 
physical assets of the VA were worth more than $35 billion and that 
normal replacement, repair and nonrecurring expenses of such a large 
infrastructure should normally be between 2 and 4 percent annually, for 
a total of between $700 million and $1.4 billion per year. We are 
nowhere near that. As a matter of fact, we have not been doing any of 
that for the last several years, or at least not much of it. It would 
be irresponsible to allow such a massive and valuable national asset as 
the VA health care system to decline for want of care. Since the Senate 
has not moved on our 2-year authorization, I am so glad and pleased 
that our chairman has decided to step up to the plate and offer this 
important legislation today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced H.R. 4514, the Veterans' Major 
Medical Facilities Construction Act of 2002, a bill to improve, 
renovate and update 10 VA medical facility construction projects with 
$285 million in authorizations to fund them in fiscal year 2003. This 
bill will help provide safe, accessible VA medical centers for veterans 
to receive their health care.
  Some of these VA medical centers have been around for more than 100 
years. The Veterans Administration cares for millions of veterans. 
These aging facilities are deteriorating and must be maintained. As 
Chairman Smith indicated, the VA is not moving fast enough with the 
CARES system to meet their infrastructure needs. The facility 
improvement projects we would authorize with this bill are VA's highest 
construction priorities: corrections to fire safety and seismic risks 
in Palo Alto; replacement of mechanical and electrical equipment in 
Cleveland; seismic bracing in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego; 
asbestos abatement and various in-patient facility improvements in 
Tampa; patient privacy improvements in West Haven.
  These are but a few of the VA's most pressing capital investment 
needs. Many projects involve seismic correction or systemic 
improvements, and all of them focus on patient safety, more efficient 
delivery of health care services and a better VA health care system.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to favorably consider 
this measure and to approve these projects for these 10 hospitals and 
clinics in which veterans receive their health care. This bill is paid 
for, Mr. Speaker, because the concurrent resolution on the budget 
includes sufficient funding to support this level of construction and 
maintenance activity in fiscal year 2003.
  This bill is a reasonable and responsible measure to improve the VA's 
health care infrastructure at these 10 sites. America's veterans 
deserve and need quality health care in modern facilities. This will 
help us attain those modern facilities.

[[Page H2616]]

  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4514, as amended, 
the Veterans' Major Medical Facilities Construction Act of 2002. This 
measure authorizes funding required for 10 of the most important major 
construction projects identified by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
I particularly want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) 
for his strong leadership in support of major VA construction projects. 
Improving the infrastructure of VA medical centers has been a high 
priority of our chairman; and his concern and commitment to veterans is 
recognized and appreciated. I also thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Evans), the ranking member; the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Health, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran); and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner), the ranking member of the subcommittee, for 
their important contributions to this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, veterans should not be forced to obtain the medical care 
they need in unsafe and potentially dangerous facilities. While this is 
a good measure deserving the support of all Members, it only begins to 
address the need for major construction in our VA medical care 
facilities.

                              {time}  1430

  Veterans are not second-class citizens and their health care 
facilities should not be second class or worse. I am hopeful that 
construction projects authorized by this legislation will proceed 
without undue delay and that the administration will request and 
provide more funding in its next budget so other serious building 
deficiencies can also be corrected.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4514, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume just to thank our professional staff again for the hard 
work that they have done on all of these bills before us. I especially 
want to call the attention of the House to, and thank, Mrs. Kimberly 
Cowins, who will be leaving the committee's majority staff at the end 
of this month for a new opportunity in Southern California.
  Mrs. Cowins has been the consummate professional as a staff member of 
our Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. She 
was instrumental in our work last year that led to passage of the 
Homeless Assistance and Health Care Benefits Acts, and she has been a 
major contributor this year to the health legislation that we are 
considering today.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Cowins devoted 10 years in serving as a medic in 
the United States Navy, including duty at facilities in Great Lakes, 
Jacksonville, Corpus Christi, my own facility of Lakehurst, New Jersey, 
and Orlando Navy hospitals.
  After leaving active duty, she worked in the health care systems of 
the VA and in the private sector prior to joining our staff. She holds 
a bachelor's degree in biology from Ryder University, which used to be 
in my district, and a master's in public administration from Texas A&M 
University.
  Mrs. Cowins is returning to the Navy in San Diego as the business 
manager of pediatrics at the Balboa Navy Hospital. Mr. Speaker, 
Balboa's gain is a significant loss for our committee, because of her 
intelligence, positive attitude, experience and good humor.
  We wish Mrs. Cowins and her family every blessing under heaven, and 
good fortune in her future endeavors. We know with confidence she will 
achieve the same level of excellence in her work at Balboa Navy 
Hospital as she did in her congressional service to America's veterans.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. 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 material on H.R. 4514, as 
amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaTourette). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on 
Health of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, 
I thank the chairman for bringing us this bill, and I thank especially 
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran), for making 
sure that we had this bill passed in the coming year.
  Mr. Speaker, I also thank the chairman for his kind words about Ms. 
Cowins. We are looking forward to seeing her in San Diego. I am sorry 
the Navy got her. I wanted to hire her for a job here. But we will see 
if they can keep her there.
  Mr. Speaker, we have heard about how necessary this construction is 
for the VA and how critical the construction needs are for our health 
facilities. There has been a gross underfunding of VA facilities for 
the past decade, and this is meant to start to catch up.
  The average age of our VA facilities is over a half century old. An 
aging infrastructure, like aging bodies, needs more than a band-aid and 
an aspirin. So this would allow the VA to carry out 10 major 
construction projects.
  I was pleased to know that 3 of these are in California, as the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs said, in San Francisco and Los Angeles and in my hometown of 
San Diego, and I am pleased and relieved that we are able to do this 
for the San Diego Medical Center in San Diego County. In fact, this is 
one of the 6 health care facilities that will be authorized to meet 
safety codes in the event of an earthquake. The projects would improve 
the structural integrity of a building that serves a growing 
metropolitan veteran population each year and houses almost 2,500 VA 
employees.
  This bill would also raise the threshold for what are called major 
construction projects to those that cost more than $6 million, thus 
allowing the Secretary more flexibility for approving minor 
construction projects and keeping pace with the rising cost of 
construction across the country. I believe that we have an obligation 
to help the VA maintain a safe and decent health care system.
  I would also urge our committee to consider legislation down the line 
to meet new needs in our National Cemetery System. While the VA does 
not have enough funds to meet the needs around the country, I would 
urge upon our committee to examine new ways of looking at this. For 
example, in San Diego, 2 private cemeteries have agreed to cede over to 
the Veterans Administration land on which veterans from San Diego could 
be buried. We have called these satellite cemeteries, and we will be 
introducing legislation to try to get these authorized in the coming 
year.
  While the VA administration has tentatively said that that gives them 
new bureaucratic problems, I believe that veterans around this Nation 
deserve an honorable burial right in their hometowns. If we have to 
find new ways to do that, then this House ought to do that.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we are here to approve H.R. 4514. Our veterans 
deserve no less, and I urge my colleagues to support this important 
measure.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
4514, the Veterans Major Medical Facilities Act.
  This bill authorizes ten projects to improve, renovate and update 
patient care facilities at Veterans' Affairs (VA) medical centers.
  H.R. 4514 establishes criteria for selection of minor construction 
projects. These criteria would provide a higher priority for seismic 
protection and fire safety, as well as improvements to VA utility 
systems and ancillary patient care facilities.
  Moreover, I am especially supportive of the provisions that provide 
additional accommodations for persons with disabilities; blind 
rehabilitation centers; programs for the seriously mentally ill 
patients; rehabilitation programs for substance abuse; physical 
medicine and rehabilitation activities; amputee care; spinal cord 
injury centers; traumatic brain injury programs; women's health 
programs; and facilities for hospice and palliative care.
  These medical problems plague many in the 18th Congressional District 
of Texas and many around the nation. Let us support this legislation to 
improve healthcare for our veterans.

[[Page H2617]]

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this bill on the floor today 
will significantly improve the lives of the veterans who have served us 
so honorably.
  H.R. 4514, Veterans Major Medical Facilities Construction Act, 
provides an increase to the Veterans Administration to improve patient 
care facilities. This bill is targeted at specified medical facility 
projects in California, Ohio, Alaska, Connecticut and Florida. It 
authorizes ten projects to improve, renovate and update patient care 
facilities at VA medical centers in these five states. The measure sets 
specific authorizations for each project in FY 2003 and an overall 
authorization of $285 million in FY 2003 for all ten projects. The much 
needed improvements in patient care at these facilities will include 
accommodations for veterans with disabilities, blind rehabilitation 
centers, programs for seriously mentally ill patients, rehabilitation 
programs for substance abuse, and facilities for hospice care.
  My colleagues may recall that when we were debating the rule for the 
Defense Authorization Act earlier this month, I expressed concerns 
about the projected rise in the number of veterans and retirees over 
the next few years, especially those over the age of 65.
  Caring for these Americans in the coming years will be one of the 
greatest challenges facing the military health care system and the 
Veterans Administration.
  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4514, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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