[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H16855-H16857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECT, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1396) to authorize a major medical facility project to 
modernize inpatient wards at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 1396

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

     SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECT, 
                   ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

       The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out a major 
     medical facility project for modernization of inpatient wards 
     at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 
     Atlanta, Georgia, in an amount not to exceed $20,534,000.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  I want to thank all the Congress colleagues from Georgia, especially 
my Atlanta colleagues Mr. Johnson and Mr. Lewis, and especially the 
Senator from Georgia, Senator Isakson, for making sure this is on the 
floor today.
  The poor state of a lot of the infrastructure of the Veterans Affairs 
is well-known.
  Through what we call the CARES process, the Capital Asset Realignment 
for Enhanced Services, the department found that the existing inpatient 
wards at the Atlanta VA Medical Center are far below community 
standards.
  This renovation project will go a long way to address the American 
with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements, the needs of women 
veterans, particularly as they relate to privacy issues, and the 
improvements in efficient functional design.
  These deficiency corrections are long overdue, and we think they will 
be met

[[Page H16856]]

here. These infrastructure improvements to utility systems will include 
the plumbing, electrical, fire and safety concerns on the inpatient 
floors.
  With the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is even more 
important that the VA is able to provide the best health care available 
in the most updated and modern facilities.
  In fiscal year 2005, this project received $20.5 million, and S. 1396 
provides the reauthorization of this project to move forward.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I want to thank the 
ranking member, Mr. Buyer, for his cooperation. I know that he has 
great respect for the CARES process and would like to consider all of 
the facilities in one construction bill. We are pledged to do that 
early next year, but I think this is an obvious need at this moment, 
and I look forward to working with the ranking member to make sure we 
meet the needs of VA infrastructure across the whole country, and we 
intend to work together and do that early next year.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I also want to thank our committee 
chairman, Mr. Filner, for working with me in a true bipartisan manner 
to expeditiously bring S. 1396 to the floor before we adjourn this 
year. I'd also like to thank the leadership of both parties for 
bringing this to the floor before we adjourn.
  This bill would authorize $20.5 million for the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to carry out a major medical facility project to 
modernize patient wards at the VA Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
  The President's budget submission for VA for fiscal year 2008 
identified this project as the Department's number one major 
construction authorization request. Without this authorization, the VA 
would be unable to move forward with this needed project to update and 
improve patient services for veterans at the Atlanta VA Medical Center.
  I also want to thank Senator Johnny Isakson for his efforts to pass 
this legislation in the Senate, and for the efforts of Senator Saxby 
Chambliss, who I've also personally spoken with. Both of these Senators 
have an interest in this project. I'd also like to recognize my good 
friends, Phil Gingrey and Tom Price, who both introduced a companion 
bill earlier this year, and for their work and advocacy on this 
legislation, to also include my colleagues Nathan Deal, Jack Kingston, 
John Linder and Paul Broun.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Gingrey).
  Mr. GINGREY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
also want to thank Chairman Filner and Mr. Buyer, Senators Isakson and 
Chambliss, but also my Democratic colleagues. The chairman mentioned 
those, John Lewis, Hank Johnson, David Scott and others, but Tom Price 
and I introduced this bill, H.R. 4143, many months ago, but we had 
unanimous support of the Georgia delegation on both sides of the aisle, 
and as we should, Madam Speaker, because this is the VA's number one 
priority for authorization in fiscal year 2008 veterans budget. So I am 
very pleased.
  I know this is the 11th hour, but thank goodness, because of the 
leadership on both sides of the aisle and in both bodies, this is 
coming to fruition.
  As Chairman Filner pointed out, there are ADA requirement issues. 
There are patient privacy issues. There are female veterans issues. So 
this is a hugely important project, and I thank my colleagues for 
making this happen.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Price).
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding 
and for his leadership, and I want to thank the chairman as well for 
his leadership, commend my colleagues in the United States Senate, 
Senator Isakson and Senator Chambliss, for their assistance on this as 
well, and thank my physician colleague from Georgia, Congressman 
Gingrey, for assisting in moving this forward, also.
  As a physician, I clearly understand and appreciate the need for 
facility improvements at the facility in Decatur, in Atlanta, Georgia. 
I recognized that during my training, Madam Speaker, when I did some of 
my training at the VA hospital in Decatur, and that was nearly 30 years 
ago, so it's high time that we finally get around to providing the 
resources to improve the infrastructure within the VA facility in 
Atlanta, in Decatur.
  I had the opportunity, Madam Speaker, to visit the VA hospital last 
week and delivered some Christmas cards, holiday cards to our veterans 
who were there, had a wonderful tour of the facility, and some of it 
had undergone significant refurbishment and improvement. Some of it had 
not.
  There are many wonderful men and women who are working diligently 
there to provide the highest quality care for our veterans. That will 
be facilitated by the work that this bill will allow, and so I'm 
pleased to stand with my colleagues in support of this bill and urge 
its adoption.
  Mr. FILNER. I'm prepared to yield back when the gentleman from 
Indiana yields back.
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I also would like to mention the work of 
Lynn Westmoreland, also of Georgia, and once again, I think the clashes 
over the years between Mr. Filner and myself are legend.
  We had a very good discussion yesterday. So I want all of our 
colleagues to know that Mr. Filner and I sat down. We had a good lunch. 
We had very good substantive discussions about a way forward, and we've 
come to the floor with this bill in a bipartisan manner.
  We both recognize as we go into next year that the construction bill 
will be one of the top priorities for both of us to work together. It 
is very unusual to sever any construction projects out of a bill. I 
don't care whether it's the MilCon bill or out of the VA construction 
bill; this is highly unusual what we're doing here today.
  But Mr. Filner and I are going to work together in a bipartisan 
manner for the greater interests of veterans in this country, and we're 
going to use this bill as a springboard to greater things.
  In the end, I also want to reiterate my comments. Senators Chambliss 
and Isakson are strong supporters of our men and women in uniform and 
our Nation's veterans during their distinguished careers both in the 
House and the Senate.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 1396.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, again, I thank Mr. Buyer for his comments. 
Putting this bill on the floor as quickly as we did shows what can 
happen when we work together. I'm looking forward to that mutual 
discussion of priorities. We are pledged to deal with this aging 
infrastructure of the VA. It has got to be remedied as quickly as 
possible, and we're both committed to working to do that.
  So I urge my colleagues to support S. 1396.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, as a young man, I came to 
believe that it was simply my duty as a citizen to serve in our 
Nation's Armed Forces. So, it was just a natural thing for me to 
volunteer for service back in the early 60s. I joined the Marines, 
later also served as a medical officer in the Navy, and finally took a 
billet in the Georgia Air National Guard.
  My military experiences, I believe, helped make me a better man. It 
certainly gave me an understanding of military life, and first-hand 
knowledge of the needs facing military personnel, military families, 
and our veterans. Those insights guide me as the Congressman for 
Georgia's 10th Congressional District.
  The Federal Government must fulfill its promises to our veterans. We 
must give them the very best quality health care that is available 
anywhere in this country. It's important not only to the current 
veterans but also to the troops that are on active duty today, as well 
as the volunteers that we need to recruit to serve their country in the 
military.
  As a medical student in Augusta, GA, and during my residency 
training, I worked in a number of VA hospitals. This experience gives 
me a unique perspective toward the veterans' needs, which most Members 
of Congress are not privileged to have. Consequently I have a 
tremendous desire to get the Federal Government to fulfill the promises 
it has broken to our

[[Page H16857]]

national heroes, the veterans. This bill is a step in that direction.
  It is critical that the VA facilities in our Nation are modern, best 
equipped, and able to give the kind of care that our veterans deserve.
  This bill will help to do that by giving veterans in Georgia and the 
Southeast a modem, up-to-date facility.
  I am very sure that keeping the United States the freest Nation in 
the history of the world means that we must maintain the most powerful 
military on Earth.
  As a member of Congress my priorities regarding military issues are 
these:
  1. Provide our troops with the best training and the best technology.
  2. Provide adequate compensation and benefits.
  3. Do everything I can to help promote high morale and espirit de 
corps.
  4. Support the spouses and children of military personnel.
  5. Improve medical care for our wounded warriors and our veterans.
  6. Keep the commitments made to our veterans regarding benefits.
  I want to take just a moment of your time to provide you with an 
update on what I have done since I won the Special Election and was 
sworn into office last July:
  1. Co-sponsored H.R. 3793 Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007 
requiring the secretary of Defense to continue to pay to a member of 
the armed forces who is retired or separated from the armed forces due 
to a combat-related injury certain bonuses that the member was entitled 
to before the retirement or separation and would continue to be 
entitled to if the member was not retired or separated.
  2. Co-sponsored H.R. 1110 amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance 
premiums on a pretax basis and to allow a deduction for TRICARE 
supplemental premiums.
  3. Co-sponsored H. Res. 111 establishing a Select POW and MIA Affairs 
Committee.
  4. Co-sponsored H.J. Res. 67 supporting a base defense budget that at 
the very minimum matches four percent of gross domestic product.
  5. Co-sponsored H. Res. 784 recognizing and honoring, in community 
post offices, the service of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces 
deployed overseas.
  6. Co-sponsored H.R. 1808 designating the Department of Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, GA, as the `Charlie Norwood 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.'
  7. Supported and spoke in favor of this bill S. 1396 to authorize a 
major medical facility project to modernize inpatient wards at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill as well as any 
future bills that will give veterans the kind of health care they 
deserve.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 1396.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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