[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 144 (Wednesday, October 7, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H10559-H10561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASES FOR DEPARTMENT OF 
                 VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 1717) to authorize major medical facility leases for the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2010, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 1717

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

     SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2010 MAJOR MEDICAL 
                   FACILITY LEASES.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
     carry out the following fiscal year 2010 major medical 
     facility leases at the locations specified, in an amount not 
     to exceed the amount shown for that location:
       (1) Anderson, South Carolina, Outpatient Clinic, in an 
     amount not to exceed $4,774,000.
       (2) Atlanta, Georgia, Specialty Care Clinic, in an amount 
     not to exceed $5,172,000.
       (3) Bakersfield, California, Community Based Outpatient 
     Clinic, in an amount not to exceed $3,464,000.
       (4) Birmingham, Alabama, Annex Clinic and Parking Garage, 
     in an amount not to exceed $6,279,000.
       (5) Butler, Pennsylvania, Health Care Center, in an amount 
     not to exceed $16,482,000.
       (6) Charlotte, North Carolina, Health Care Center, in an 
     amount not to exceed $30,457,000.
       (7) Fayetteville, North Carolina, Health Care Center, in an 
     amount not to exceed $23,487,000.
       (8) Huntsville, Alabama, Outpatient Clinic Expansion, in an 
     amount not to exceed $4,374,000.
       (9) Kansas City, Kansas, Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 
     in an amount not to exceed $4,418,000.
       (10) Loma Linda, California, Health Care Center, in an 
     amount not to exceed $31,154,000
       (11) McAllen, Texas, Outpatient Clinic, in an amount not to 
     exceed $4,444,000.
       (12) Monterey, California, Health Care Center, in an amount 
     not to exceed $11,628,000.
       (13) Montgomery, Alabama, Health Care Center, in an amount 
     not to exceed $9,943,000.
       (14) Tallahassee, Florida, Outpatient Clinic, in an amount 
     not to exceed $13,165,000.
       (15) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Health Care Center, in 
     an amount not to exceed $26,986,000.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for 
     fiscal year 2010 or the year in which funds are appropriated 
     for the Medical Facilities account $196,227,000 for the 
     leases authorized in subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of S. 1717, a bill to authorize 15 major medical 
facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs' fiscal year 
2010 budget. The bill would also authorize $196 million to allow the VA 
to carry out these leases in a timely manner.
  Mr. Speaker, the VA operates the largest direct health care delivery 
system in America. Providing timely access to high-quality health care 
to veterans is the work of the VA. It provides these services through 
their sizable inventory of buildings and properties that include 153 
medical centers, 755 outpatient clinics, and 230 vet centers. This bill 
provides the VA the ability to move forward without delay on the 
execution of important leases. Veterans who have been anticipating new 
clinics opening up in their communities will not be disappointed if we 
act on time.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank the Senate 
Veterans Affairs Committee for taking the lead and moving this bill so 
quickly. I urge support of the legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1717, a bill to authorize major 
medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
fiscal year 2010 and other purposes.
  S. 1717 would allow for new and expanded veterans' medical facilities 
throughout the United States. New VA outpatient facilities would be 
opened in Atlanta, Georgia; Butler, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; 
Fayetteville, North Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; Kansas City, Kansas; 
Loma Linda, California; and Montgomery, Alabama. These new facilities 
will provide the ability to handle larger veteran populations and 
deliver expanded

[[Page H10560]]

services in modern state-of-the-art facilities.
  This bill would also authorize the replacement of VA outpatient 
facilities in Anderson, South Carolina; Bakersfield, California; 
Charlotte, North Carolina; McAllen, Texas; Monterey, California; and 
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It would also allow for the expansion of 
the outpatient facility in Tallahassee, Florida, my State. This would 
ensure that these locations can continue to provide veterans with 
effective, quality care. S. 1717 would ensure that VA medical 
facilities can deliver the highest quality of service, the key, to 
veterans by providing the authorization for these projects.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support S. 1717 and the benefits it would 
provide to veterans with medical facility leases across the country. I 
encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to Dr. Deal from 
Georgia.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate 1717.
  As a veteran, I recognize the sacrifice our men and women in uniform 
are making on behalf of our country to defend our Nation and protect 
our liberties. But, unfortunately, notable deficiencies in capacity are 
limiting access to health care which many of our veterans desperately 
need.
  This bill includes authorization of approximately $5.1 million to 
establish an outpatient clinic for veterans throughout the metropolitan 
Atlanta area and across Georgia to improve access to care, particularly 
as the strain exists on existing VA facilities, and it will continue to 
increase that strain as servicemembers return home. This new facility 
will work in support of the Atlanta VA Medical Center, which is located 
in Decatur, Georgia.
  Currently, over 630,000 veterans live within the Atlanta VA catchment 
area, and that number will continue to grow. Estimates further indicate 
that the number of outpatient visits in the area will grow by 120 
percent by 2025, with a dramatic 170 percent surge in mental health 
visits.
  The Atlanta Specialty Care Clinic lease, which this bill provides 
for, will provide an opportunity to serve our veterans in a 
contemporary facility, ensuring that maximum safety and security are 
going to be addressed. This facility will enhance the VA's ability to 
provide some of the highest-in-demand services in ophthalmology, 
podiatry, and dermatology, while allowing the existing areas at the 
Decatur VA facility to be expanded to address mental health services 
and traumatic brain injury.
  I have introduced a similar piece of legislation in the House, H.R. 
3704, which also authorizes the establishment of this much-needed 
facility. Over 17,000 unique patients representing 88,000 outpatient 
visits per year will benefit by this much-needed addition to our 
already strained system.
  Mr. Speaker, our veterans deserve no less than our best, and I remain 
committed to ensuring that our servicemembers receive the health care 
that they deserve.
  I thank the gentlemen for their support of this legislation.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers running for Governor or 
Senator, so I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Moran), a member of the VA Committee.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) for bringing 
this legislation to the House floor today. I'm here in support of it.
  In particular, I am pleased with a provision that's included in this 
bill that authorizes a new community-based outpatient clinic, or CBOC, 
to be located in Johnson County, Kansas.
  As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and former 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, I have been an advocate for 
establishing a CBOC in our State. These VA clinics bring health care 
services closer to veterans who have served our country. During my time 
in Congress, I have helped open five other outpatient clinics in our 
State: Hays, Dodge City, Salina, Junction City, and Hutchinson. 
Especially in my own congressional district where there is no VA 
hospital, these health facilities have proven to be invaluable. These 
clinics are a successful part of a larger success story of our 
country's efforts to raise the standards of care for veterans.
  Veterans in Johnson County, Kansas, deserve timely access to medical 
care, and I've been working to make sure that the VA recognizes this. 
Johnson County is our State's most populated county, so it's unusual in 
a sense for me to be here talking about them, but located in the 
suburbs of Kansas City, this area is home to hundreds of thousands of 
veterans. The VA patient workload in future years for this region is 
expected to increase significantly. And unless the capacity is created 
to care for these veterans, timely access will be threatened.
  With the passage of this legislation, I'm pleased the VA can move 
forward on this clinic to provide quality medical care for northeast 
Kansans who've sacrificed in service to our country. The new outpatient 
clinic will mean closer medical services and less wait times for a 
large number of Kansas veterans who currently travel across the State 
line to Missouri for health care. With over 44,000 square feet 
authorized, this sizable clinic will provide comprehensive outpatient 
services, including mental health as well as radiology, laboratory 
services, and a pharmacy.
  I want to thank the VISN in Kansas City and KC VA Medical Center for 
their foresight on this project and for their efforts to see that it's 
completed by the year 2012. I thank the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. 
Moore) for his efforts, and I encourage my colleagues in this House to 
support this legislation.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Farr), who has been an incredible advocate for, I 
think, a unique approach to serving the veterans in his area in 
Monterey, California.
  Mr. FARR. I thank the chairman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1717.
  This bill authorizes funds to lease 15 major medical facilities 
across the country. These are facilities that the VA desperately needs 
to meet the growing demand for outpatient health care, for veteran 
health care. In my district alone, hundreds of veterans are forced to 
drive up to 2 hours to a VA hospital in Palo Alto for outpatient care. 
I know that many of these districts share the same situation. The 
bottom line is the VA is unable to meet our current needs through its 
traditional construction system. We must take action to ensure our 
veterans are receiving the health care they deserve.
  The leasing program in this bill allows funds known as the Health 
Care Center Facilities program to use private-sector money. This 
innovative approach to funding construction and maintenance of VA 
hospitals is just the type of idea we need to plug these holes in 
service. In some ways the lease program builds off a similar program 
that the armed services use for residential community housing, 
essentially housing for men and women in uniform. The lesson from these 
programs is clear: we need to leverage private-sector investment for 
government benefits.
  The health care needs of our returning and aging veterans will only 
continue to increase, and it is essential for the VA to meet this 
demand with modern, efficient, and accessible veterans' health 
facilities. In my district I have been working with the VA and with 
DOD, Department of Defense, officials to build a joint outpatient 
clinic for veterans and active and retired military servicemembers. 
This bill contains the lease authority for that joint VA/DOD clinic at 
the former Fort Ord. This clinic will serve more than 80,000 veterans 
and active and retired military servicemembers on the Monterey 
Peninsula.
  There is a glaring need to provide care for our veterans. This bill 
will accomplish that. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, 
to thank those that have been involved at the committee level to bring 
it to the floor, and to expand health care options for all our 
veterans.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the ranking member 
of

[[Page H10561]]

the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Lewis.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. I very much appreciate my colleague's 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation because it 
will greatly benefit the thousands of veterans in my district and the 
greater Inland Empire.
  With the passage of this bill, the Jerry Pettis Veterans Medical 
Center will begin the process of establishing a new health care center. 
This new 271,000-square-foot facility will directly benefit veterans of 
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties by increasing access to care, 
expanding services, and reducing wait times.
  I would like to thank the staff of the Jerry Pettis VA Hospital for 
their very hard work and the fine service they're providing to veterans 
in our region.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, this bill contains needed authorizations 
requested by the VA, and it is important that we move this legislation 
forward quickly.
  I urge my colleagues to support S. 1717.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. 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. 1717.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I think the importance of this bill and its 
quick passage has been proven by all the speakers.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1717. Within 
this request is funding for the Veterans Health Care Center in 
Charlotte, NC.
  We currently have a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic that cannot 
meet the demands of our growing veteran population. Based on VA 
numbers, our veteran population is slated to increase 31 percent 
between 2007 and 2025.
  This new Health Care Center will help the VA expand its service 
offerings in our area, and offer new ones which means that our veterans 
will not have to travel out of our area for the services they need.
  We cannot thank our men and women in uniform--and their families for 
the sacrifices they make in defending our country. However, with this 
new Health Care Center in Charlotte, we can ensure that they are taken 
care of in a matter which fits their dedication and service.
  Mr. FILNER. 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 bill, S. 1717.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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