[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 78 (Thursday, June 2, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H3964-H3977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 288 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2055.
{time} 1903
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 2055) making appropriations for military construction, the
Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes, with Mr. Terry
in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) and the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Bishop) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, it's my privilege to lay out tonight for the House for
consideration the appropriations bill for Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs, and my good friend, Mr. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, we
have worked together arm in arm in this committee to make sure that our
men and women in uniform have everything they need to do their job. We
on this committee think of our job as sort of we are the peace of mind
committee for the United States military and for our veterans.
We have an obligation--this Congress, this government--has an
obligation, first and foremost, to provide for national security, to
make sure that our men and women in uniform, not only here at home, but
overseas have everything they need to do their job.
The scope of our appropriations bill today includes construction, of
course, of all the military bases here and overseas. We have fully
funded in this bill all the requests of the branches of the military
for our men and women in uniform on active duty. We've made sure that
all the retired men and women who have served this Nation have
everything they need when it comes to the veterans hospitals, the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
We are laying before the House tonight this funding bill as a part of
our Nation's--I like to also think of it as part of our Nation's
mortgage payment. This is one of those fundamental obligations that we
have as a government to ensure that our military is fully funded, that
they've got the equipment, the logistical support that they need, that
their housing is the best it can be, that the facilities are the very
best they can be, and this is one of those fundamental obligations
we've absolutely got to take care of.
In this bill and in all the appropriations bills, Mr. Chairman,
brought to the House for the first time, this new Republican majority,
this conservative majority is for the first time--money that has been
left in the Treasury unspent in previous years was just spent in other
areas. For the first time under the leadership of Chairman Hal Rogers
of Kentucky, our committee, the other subcommittees of Appropriations,
are returning that unspent money back to taxpayers to reduce the
deficit.
Chairman Rogers and the leadership of the House, Speaker Boehner, our
Republican leadership, all of us are committed to bringing the Nation--
doing everything in our power to get back to a balanced budget, to
reduce Federal spending, to bring the size, scope, and cost of the
Federal Government back under control.
While we recognize our responsibility to fully fund and take care of
our troops in military construction, of our veterans in the Veterans
Affairs, the hospitals, through the VA, we also have an obligation to
manage the money in a way that's fiscally sound. So we've identified
rescissions, or returned money, unspent money, to taxpayers in the
amount of $388 million, again, the first time that's ever be done.
Again, these savings don't impact in any way the level of services
provided to our veterans. This in no way impacts or diminishes the
quality of housing or the level of service necessary on bases here in
the United States or overseas.
But we have found savings. For example, $100 million in planning and
design money that was left over from previous years. We found $100
million in unspent funds from the BRAC, the Base Realignment and
Closure Commission in 1990, money that was unspent and left over. We
found money in a variety of accounts, Mr. Chairman, that in previous
years would have been respent elsewhere.
And under the leadership of Chairman Rogers and Speaker Boehner, our
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subcommittee, every subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee is
committed to return that money to taxpayers and to find savings
everywhere we can that will not diminish, again, the level of service
provided to our military because we want to make sure they have
absolutely no worries as they stand on the wall defending our freedom
every night, every day, 24/7.
We have also incrementally funded, Mr. Chairman, five projects and
found savings of $304 million that we have been able to return to
taxpayers. In three cases, we found there's three projects which we did
not fund for the F-35 aircraft facility at the Nellis Air Force Base in
Nevada because that aircraft is not ready to be fully deployed. There
is a central distribution facility in Germany, a commissary building, a
variety of savings that we've looked for, not just unspent money but
looking for ways we can save money for taxpayers while maintaining that
very high level of service for our men and women in uniform while being
good stewards of the public's precious tax dollars.
In the areas of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Chairman, we were able to find
savings of $25 million in the general administration of the VA. We also
found savings of $136 million in information technology. And in a whole
separate category of accounts for minor construction, we saved about
$75 million there. All of this money has been returned to taxpayers to
reduce the deficit, to do everything we can within our power to reduce
the level of obligation that our children and grandchildren are going
to inherit.
Finally, I want to point out we also found savings--the U.S. Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims had asked for a new courthouse. And in
light of the unprecedented size of the debt and the deficit, we did not
recommend to the House that that new courthouse be built. That resulted
in a $25 million savings. The Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims does
a great job. They're working in a leased facility right now, and we
recommend that that be continued.
Mr. Chairman, the situation the Nation faces today is truly
unprecedented. We calculated that about $2.2 trillion in revenue comes
into the Treasury every year, yet the existing obligations of the
Federal Government to pay the current liability of Social Security,
Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the national debt, and our veterans
benefits are all programs that have to be funded upfront. That is sort
of our national mortgage payment. And those programs alone consume $2.3
trillion.
So if you just look at the math, right out of the gate, the Nation
begins the year, at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the
year, American taxpayers are already $105 billion in debt.
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So every dollar the Appropriations Committee spends all year is
borrowed. This is why you see fiscal conservatives, all of us,
constitutional conservatives in this new majority are so passionate, so
determined to get us back on path to a balanced budget, to do
everything we can within each one of these subcommittees to find
savings. I am so grateful to Chairman Rogers and Speaker Boehner for
the first time returning unspent money to reduce the deficit.
We have had to reduce the overall amount of money available to every
sector of the government dramatically. And it is tough. We have a lot
of tough savings. But in the area of supporting our military, when it
comes to making sure that they have got the best equipment, that they
have got the absolute best in their housing and their hospital care,
whether you are active duty military or if you are retired and in the
care of the Veterans Administration, you can be sure that the United
States Congress stands behind you. We are immensely proud of you. We
have made sure that we have fully funded every need that you have got,
and we have made sure that you are given the absolute best medical
care.
All of the family members out there who have sons or daughters or
fathers or mothers serving in the U.S. military need to know that,
despite this tough budget environment, this Congress stands behind your
father, your mother, your brother, your sister who serves in the
military, and we are absolutely committed to ensuring that they have
the very best equipment possible on the face of the Earth, that they
have got everything they need to do their job, to stand on the wall
defending this great Nation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as they do
so beautifully.
We are very fortunate on this subcommittee, Mr. Chairman. We have an
extraordinary group of people working behind the scenes--we have had
for years--to make sure that this subcommittee has produced a bill that
this House can support in a bipartisan way with great pride.
I want to make sure to thank our extraordinary staff: Tim Peterson
who is our chief clerk of the subcommittee and has served with the
Appropriations Committee for 22 years and served on the staff of the
Secretary of the Navy for 9 years. Tim has done an extraordinary job,
and I am very grateful to him for the time and effort he has put into
this bill. I want to thank Sue Quantius for her work on the committee
and her expertise when it comes to veterans affairs. To Sarah Young who
has done such an extraordinary job as well and has been such a great
asset. They have all done a magnificent job, and we are lucky to have
them.
On the minority side, Matt Washington has just done an extraordinary
job, as has Danny Cromer. All of us have worked together, arm in arm.
My good friend, Mr. Bishop from Georgia.
This is one bill, Mr. Chairman, that I know that Members of the House
will be able to support in a bipartisan way with great pride because
our subcommittee has produced this bill in a bipartisan way without
regard to party label. Our entire focus has been: How can we make sure
that our men and women in uniform, active duty and retired, have got
everything they need? How can we be better stewards of the taxpayers'
precious dollars?
We identified things, for example, we share a concern for money that
was unspent. Veterans hospitals and the giant facilities like the new
one in Denver that I understand had $978 million unspent for years, and
we put language in this bill telling them they are going to lose that
money after 5 years unless they make sure that they get it obligated
and get these hospitals built.
We had great support from Mr. Bishop on ensuring that our veterans
who have valid claims for disabilities get those disability claims
handled in an expeditious way.
We worked together arm in arm not just to find savings, but to make
sure we identify efficiencies. How can we make sure that our men and
women in uniform not only have the best housing, but veterans who are
retired are given the best possible service?
We have, on every occasion throughout the year working on this bill,
found that we have areas of agreement in this bill, and we produce it
in a way that is really unanimous. It is a real privilege for me to
work with Mr. Bishop and with our ranking member from Washington State,
Mr. Dicks. It has been a real privilege to work with him.
But above all, I am extraordinarily proud to serve as the
subcommittee chairman under my chairman, Hal Rogers of Kentucky, who I
count as a role model and as a mentor to me. Mr. Rogers has been a very
good friend and a great leader for this committee and is a stalwart
fiscal conservative, committed to making sure that our men and women in
uniform continue to be the very best military in the world.
It is my privilege to be here tonight to present this bipartisan bill
to the House.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I am pleased to join Chairman Culberson as the House takes up the
fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill for Military Construction,
Veterans Affairs, and related agencies. The MilCon-VA bill is
critically important to the strength and the well-being of our
military, our veterans, and the families who sacrificed so much to
defend our country.
Working with Chairman Culberson and the members of the subcommittee,
we have crafted a bill that will address the funding needs for military
construction and family housing for our troops and for their families,
as well as other quality of life construction projects.
In addition, it will provide funding for many important VA programs
as
[[Page H3966]]
well as agencies like the Veterans Court of Appeals and the American
Battle Monuments Commission.
The bill before us today touches every soldier, every sailor, every
marine, and every airman. In addition, this bill will also impact
military spouses, their children, and every veteran that participates
in veterans programs.
I want to commend Chairman Culberson for his hard work. He has done
his best to hold hearings that he believes are important to the work of
the subcommittee. Together we sat through 12 hearings, gaining valuable
insight into the working of all of the agencies under the
subcommittee's jurisdiction.
I would like to thank all of the subcommittee members and recognize
them for their hard work on the bill.
I believe that the minority was treated fairly during this process,
and I want to thank Chairman Culberson for that. We worked very well in
a very collegial fashion, and I think that is the way that this
institution should work.
Chairman Culberson has already provided the funding highlights in the
bill, and I won't repeat them all, but I want to point out a few items
that I think are extremely important.
The Department of Defense schools. The bill before us today includes
$483 million for the renovation and replacement of 15 Department of
Defense schools. Six schools here in the United States and nine schools
at overseas installations will be refurbished with this funding. Mr.
Chairman, I believe that providing the funds for DOD schools will not
only help our servicemembers' children get a quality education in a
safe facility, but it will also give our servicemembers some peace of
mind.
Medical center replacement. Mr. Chairman, I was pleased that the bill
includes $1.1 billion for the medical center replacement in Germany. As
you know, a large proportion of the serious casualties from the Iraq
and Afghanistan theaters are treated there in Landstuhl, and I am
pleased to see we are making this very, very important investment.
Regarding veteran affairs, the bill contains $52.5 billion for
advance appropriations for medical services, for medical support and
compliance, and medical facilities at the VA, which is $1.8 billion
above the amount that was included in the FY 2011 continuing
resolution.
Mr. Chairman, I strongly believe that advance funding provides timely
and predictable funding for the veterans health care system. For
example, during the delay in the FY 2011 funding, veterans health care
funding was already in place and the veterans health care programs were
not subject to the continuing resolution process and our veterans did
not have to go without their health care.
Mr. Chairman, overall the bill provides adequate funding for programs
included in this bill. However, I am troubled by one item.
Unfortunately, during the full committee markup, an amendment was
adopted to eliminate funding to implement Executive Order 13502, which
was issued in February 2009, which addresses project labor agreements,
PLAs. Now, if you are opposed to that Executive Order, that's fine; but
using the MilCon-VA bill to address this issue, I believe, is the wrong
place.
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This language is purely an ideological and political provision that
really is beyond the scope of this bill.
If we want to deal with this issue, we should deal with it on a labor
bill and not on the Military Construction-VA bill. The MilCon-VA bill
has always enjoyed broad bipartisan support, and has avoided divisive
issues like this no matter which party has held the gavel. I believe
including this language only causes unnecessary complications and does
nothing to help our servicemembers or our veterans.
Mr. Chairman, please know that as we continue through the process, I
will work to address this issue because an item like this really has no
place in a bill that has always placed our troops, their families and
our veterans above ideology.
Before I close, I would like to recognize the staff for all of the
work and the time that they have put into this bill. From the minority
committee staff, I would like to thank Matt Washington and Danny Cromer
as well as Michael Reed and Greg Browder from my personal office. From
the majority committee staff, I would like to thank Tim Peterson, Sue
Quantius, Sarah Young, and Tracey Russell as well as Alec Fritchie and
Evan Ewachiw from the chairman's personal office.
I would also like to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks),
our ranking member; and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), who
set the standard for the committee and for the subcommittees with their
collegial relationship in their ability to work together and in their
efforts to make sure that we move these appropriations bills through
regular order. I appreciate that very much.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, it is my privilege to yield such time as
he may consume to the distinguished chairman of the full committee, the
gentleman from Kentucky, Congressman Hal Rogers.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding me this
time.
I want to, at the outset, congratulate him on a great job on this
bill. He and his terrific staff have worked long and hard, along with
the subcommittee members, to produce, I think, a star of a bill.
So, on your maiden voyage, Mr. Chairman, congratulations on a good
job.
To Mr. Bishop and the minority members of the subcommittee, including
my distinguished cohort, Mr. Dicks, the ranking on the full committee,
we've all worked together on this, and we appreciate the collegial
atmosphere, as Mr. Bishop has said, that has governed this proceeding.
I rise in support of this act. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle
agree that our Nation's servicemembers, their families and our veterans
deserve the greatest quality of care and support for their service and
their sacrifices. This bill funds their most pressing needs in a timely
manner while also acknowledging the urgent need to rein in Federal
spending at a time of historically high and dangerous deficits.
This legislation provides $72.5 billion in discretionary funding for
military construction projects, veterans' programs and other agencies
that support the quality of life of our warfighters, veterans and
families. This funding level represents a $615 million cut from last
year's level and a $1.2 billion reduction from the budgetary request.
The bill fully funds the construction of Department of Defense
hospitals and clinics, schools and family housing, providing our
military personnel with the resources to effectively advance U.S.
missions abroad and the support they need here at home. The bill also
protects the health and well-being of our veterans, funding medical
care, disability benefits and education benefits.
But in addition to adequately funding these programs, the
subcommittee also made difficult but responsible choices that eliminate
excess spending wherever appropriate. Much of the reduction in this
bill comes from savings related to the BRAC process and from
rescissions of previous year funding left over from lower-than-
estimated construction costs. The bill also includes provisions for
strong oversight overspending.
Mr. Chairman, cleaning up the way we spend taxpayer dollars will help
balance our Nation's budgets, and will show the American taxpayers that
we can be trusted with their hard-earned money. We can't restrict cuts
to only some areas of government. All agencies and programs must be
held accountable to tighter budgets with more stringent supervision.
Chairman Culberson and members of this subcommittee have shown great
fiscal restraint and a commitment to real savings in reducing the
discretionary spending in this bill below the 2011 levels while
providing the resources our troops and our vets deserve.
So, again, I want to congratulate Chairman Culberson, Ranking Member
Bishop, all the members of the subcommittee, and my ranking partner,
Mr. Dicks, for their great work on this bill. Of course, I want to
again say how much we appreciate the work of this fine staff, both on
the minority and majority levels. Great work.
[[Page H3967]]
Mr. Chairman, I believe this bill is an excellent representation of
the good work that we can do in Congress when we work together, both as
we support our troops and our veterans and as we work in regular order
to fund our government responsibly. I urge my colleagues to support the
bill.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 4
minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee
and of the full Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from Washington
(Mr. Dicks).
Mr. DICKS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Bishop, I want to congratulate you on being the new ranking
member on MilCon-VA. I also congratulate Chairman Culberson, who has, I
think, done an outstanding job, and of course my good friend and
colleague, Hal Rogers, the chairman of our committee. I want to also
congratulate the staff. The staff has done an amazing job considering
we had to go through the 2011 episode and then come right back and get
the 2012 bill out.
The MilCon-VA Subcommittee has always had a strong reputation for
common ground and bipartisanship as members traditionally work together
to fund the construction of military facilities and strive to improve
the quality of life and care afforded to our veterans and military
families.
Many years ago, during the Reagan administration, we got David
Stockman to allow us and Cap Weinberger to do incremental funding on
military hospitals, and I'm glad the committee has gone back to an
incremental funding approach. I think it's the only way we can do these
major projects.
We all acknowledge the challenges facing the Nation today with
respect to the debt and deficit, and I believe this bill has done a
commendable job in addressing these fiscal challenges while ensuring
that we are not impacting the level of care and benefits that our
servicemembers have so rightfully earned.
Military construction is funded at $14 billion, which is $2.6 billion
below the FY11 enacted amount and $752 million below the President's
request. The subcommittee achieved these cuts through the incremental
funding of projects and by eliminating funding for several projects
that were ahead of need. As Ranking Member Bishop noted, this bill
makes a strong investment into Defense Department schools by investing
$483 million for the construction and replacement of substandard
facilities. I have been a strong advocate for the modernization of
schools serving the children of our Nation's servicemembers, and I
commend the chairman and ranking member on their commitment to this
effort.
The Department of Veterans Affairs would be funded at $58.3 billion
in discretionary spending, which is $1.85 billion above the fiscal year
2011 enacted level and $476 million below the President's request. Most
of this funding is for veterans' medical services. The recommendation
provides the full funding of $69.5 billion for the mandatory VA
programs providing compensation and pensions, educational benefits,
vocational rehabilitation, life insurance, and housing loan programs.
I would like to commend the chairman and ranking member for their
efforts to ensure that our Nation's veterans are well taken care of by
maintaining adequate funding for veterans' health care and other
benefits on which so many have come to count on.
Again, I am pleased overall with the funding levels proposed in this
bill today, and I am pleased that during the full committee markup we
were able to remove a contentious and divisive restriction on the
implementation of Davis-Bacon wage requirements; but unfortunately,
there is one item that I believe will complicate the passage of this
bill.
{time} 1930
I am troubled by the inclusion of a provision that prohibits the use
of project labor agreements for any project in this bill. This divisive
policy rider should not be included in an appropriations bill, and the
decision to implement PLAs should remain at the discretion of the
agency as to whether it is appropriate for an individual project. The
inclusion of this provision unnecessarily complicates the support for a
bill that would otherwise pass with wide bipartisan support. I expect
an amendment to be offered that would remove this restriction on PLAs
and would further improve the bill. I would like to urge my colleagues
on both sides of the aisle to support the amendment.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30
seconds.
Mr. DICKS. Regardless, I remain committed to working with my
colleagues to respectfully work out any differences on the floor so
that we may pass a bipartisan bill that adequately provides for our
troops, veterans, and military families.
Again, I intend to support this bill. I wish we could finish tonight,
but I understand we can't. I look forward to seeing this bill done. I
commend, again, the chairman and ranking member for their good work.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to say very briefly, again, truly how much I
appreciate working with all the members of this committee, including
the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) and the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Bishop). All of us have worked with one goal in mind, and
that is to ensure the peace of mind of our men and women in uniform and
our retired military members, to ensure that no matter where they go,
no matter what they're doing, they don't have a worry in the world. We
want to make sure they are taken care of. And we've done so in a way
that is fiscally responsible. We've done so in a way ever mindful of
the record debt, the record deficit, of the inability of many of the
projects the VA has worked on before getting done on time or, frankly,
even getting started, making sure that disability claims are paid on
time.
We are also presenting the bill tonight, Mr. Chairman, giving any
Member of the House an opportunity to come down and file an amendment
and be heard in an open and transparent way, something that we in the
new majority committed to do, that every American would have an
opportunity to read the bill online at least 72 hours in advance. It is
vitally important that we, doing the Nation's business, do so in a way
that's absolutely transparent and open and straightforward, especially
when it comes to supporting our men and women in uniform. When it comes
to making sure they are taken care of and have no worries, there are no
party labels. It's really been a privilege to work with each and every
one of you on this committee.
I see my good friend Mr. Farr of California is here. He's been a
particularly valuable member of the subcommittee. He has brought great
expertise to the committee. I look forward to hearing from him tonight
as well.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to yield 2\1/2\
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), ranking member of
the Agriculture Subcommittee of Appropriations but who is a longtime
member of this MilCon-VA subcommittee.
Mr. FARR. I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding.
It is a pleasure to serve on this committee. I might be the longest
serving member on the committee, but I'm a ranking member on another
committee. It's a pleasure to serve. I welcome the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Culberson) to his new role as chair of the committee. And it's
always a pleasure to serve with the gentleman from Washington (Mr.
Dicks) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the ranking and
chair of the major committee.
This committee is unique in Congress. It's the only committee where
both active duty military and veterans are dealt with from the same
policy. There's no other committee in this House or in the Senate that
has the one-stop that this committee has. It's a pleasure to be focused
on the continuum of care for active duty and reservists and veterans.
This past weekend, we remembered the patriotic sacrifice of those who
have lost their lives in service to our country, and today we renew our
commitment to keep our promise to our Nation's more than 2 million
troops and reservists, their families, and 23 million veterans.
This committee has a strong history of working in a bipartisan way to
[[Page H3968]]
produce a bill that supports our active duty servicemembers and our
veterans. I am proud to support some much needed increases for the
Veterans Affairs Department, and I would note that while this bill is
$1.4 billion above last year's level, it is also $1.2 billion less than
what the President requested.
Additionally, I am pleased to see that this bill emphasizes the needs
of our veterans in rural areas. The National Cemetery Administration
anticipates that 10 percent of all veterans will not receive access to
a burial option in a national, State, or tribal cemetery within 75
miles of their home. I am pleased that this bill directs the National
Cemetery Administration to develop a strategy to serve our rural
veterans.
This language is important because it recognizes that veterans who
live in rural communities should be treated on par with veterans who
live in urban areas in all services provided by the VA. In my rural
district, the central coast of California, veterans are moving a step
closer to achieving a dream of a veterans cemetery at the former Fort
Ord military base.
I commend the chairman and ranking member for their hard work in
ensuring that this bill is another significant step in fulfilling the
promise our country has made to leave no veteran behind.
I urge support for this bill on one condition. The condition is that
the language against project labor agreements needs to be taken out.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to say very briefly that one of the reasons
we're trying to move expeditiously on this is we want to make sure our
men and women in uniform have everything they need as soon as possible.
We're trying to get this bill through to ensure that we not only get
it, but that we get it done in an expeditious fashion.
We are waiting for an amendment to be completed drafting, but it's
important, I think, to reemphasize, if I could, in the time I have
remaining, the scale of the problem the Nation faces. This is not just
a record deficit and record debt we face. It's actually a whole lot
bigger than that.
As we make sure that our men and women in uniform are taken care of
with their housing, we've made sure that, for example, all the BEQs,
the bachelor enlisted quarters, are fully funded; that the Army, the
Navy, the Air Force is fully funded; our veterans are fully funded.
We've had to do this in a way that is fiscally responsible because we
are ever mindful of the scale of the problem the Nation faces
financially.
It is difficult to even begin to comprehend how huge the problem is
that has been created by so many years of previous Congresses, of
previous administrations, too many promises to too many people on too
many occasions on money that was borrowed from future generations. The
result has been that today, the unfunded liabilities facing the
taxpayers of the Nation are about $49.6 trillion. Those are liabilities
at present value.
For example, the publicly held debt, military and civilian pensions,
retiree health benefits and other explicit, direct liabilities of about
$16.9 trillion. The entire U.S. economy is about $13 trillion. Our
gross domestic product is, I think, right at about $13 trillion. So
just the explicit liabilities that we have to pay already exceed the
size of the entire U.S. economy.
We've got long-term contingencies and implicit liabilities. For
example, the future cost of Social Security benefits is $31 trillion.
{time} 1940
Future Medicare benefits under part A, part B, and part D all added
together create--and this is unfunded liability for which there is no
source or revenue lined up to pay for this--about $50 trillion, $49.6
trillion. And to give you an idea of how big that number is, in order
to pay that liability off, every living American would have to write a
check tonight for $159,000 to pay off that future unfunded liability.
I've had constituents ask me if they just write that check, can they be
done? Is that it? They're done? I wish it were that simple. But we, on
the Appropriations Committee, this vast amount of money that we spend
every year, this extraordinary responsibility with which we have been
entrusted by our constituents, the amount of money we spend every year
pales in significance to the size of the unfunded liabilities in the
future.
The amount of money that we spend every year on the Appropriations
Committee--a little over $1 trillion, an extraordinary amount of money,
$1,000 billion--is dwarfed by the size of the unfunded liability that
we face in the future.
And it's important for everyone, Mr. Speaker, listening to this
debate tonight to remember that the money we spend here tonight in
support of our troops, the money we spend on Homeland Security, to
build highways, to pay for all the things the Federal Government does,
it's all borrowed. The hole is so deep that's been dug by our
predecessors, and again, too many promises to too many people on too
many occasions, too many Big Government promises--I'm still wondering
about Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty, that is, how many trillions of
dollars later and that still hasn't worked out.
We, in the new constitutional conservative majority, are absolutely
committed to getting us back on track to a balanced budget because we
recognize the scale of the problem, the urgency of these impending
unfunded liabilities, this massive bill that's going to come due to our
children and grandchildren. In fact, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do an
analysis about every 5 years on the strategic threats facing the United
States. And analyzing all the threats facing our Nation, the Joint
Chiefs concluded that one of the greatest strategic threats America
faces is our national debt, this unfunded liability, these crushing
obligations that our kids are going to inherit if we as a Congress
don't work--as we have on this subcommittee in a way without regard to
party for the benefit of the Nation--to find ways to make sure that
Social Security and Medicare are solvent, that we get the entitlement
programs under control because they're going right off a cliff unless
we make sure we rescue them and make sure they're solvent and there for
our kids. But we've got to make sure that we are doing everything
within our power in the annual appropriations process to save every
single dollar that we can.
There has been some debate, Mr. Chairman, some Members of Congress in
the past have said, well, we just need to raise taxes. My predecessor,
Bill Archer, who was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, had an
analysis done that showed that even if you were to confiscate all of
the corporate income--100 percent of the corporate income in America--
that would generate about $1.3 trillion. If the government were to
confiscate 100 percent of all individual income, over $200,000, that
would generate about $2.1 trillion. So you can see that it isn't
possible to solve this problem by raising taxes. And that is something
that we also understand instinctively as conservatives; if you just
simply get the government out of our lives, out of our pocket, out of
our way, and leave us alone to raise our kids, to run our businesses,
to run our lives--let Texans run Texas, let Georgians run Georgia. If
you unleash the entrepreneurial creativity of the American people, the
economy will grow, people will invest and save their own money far
wiser than the government will, and we will begin to dig out of this
hole that we're in.
We're committed not just to saving money year to year through the
appropriations process, we're committed to ensuring that Medicare,
Social Security, that these social safety net programs that are so
essential to our Nation are there for the future, for our children and
our grandchildren. We're going to do everything in our power to make
sure that we have done our job in a fiscally responsible way this year.
When it comes to Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, or
Homeland Security, or Transportation, or Labor, Health and Human
Services, all the various subcommittees of appropriations, that's year-
to-year dollars that we have direct control over right now, but we're
also thinking long term.
We also want to eliminate that threat that the Joint Chiefs of Staff
[[Page H3969]]
identified, the greatest threat to our long-term national security they
identified as the national debt--much of which is held by nations
hostile to the United States. Deeply, deeply disturbing, Mr. Chairman,
that the Communist Chinese Government buys so much of our debt. They're
the largest purchaser today of gold. The Chinese economy is thundering.
They have a very aggressive campaign underway to acquire as much
intellectual property as they can through espionage and acquisition. We
have, as a Nation, in allowing this debt to be created and allowing so
many nations that are hostile to the United States to buy our debt,
have placed too much power in the hands of the Chinese, of sovereign
wealth funds.
And we here tonight, when it comes to supporting our military,
through this construction bill, through the Veterans Affairs, we've
made sure our men and women in uniform have everything they need in a
fiscally responsible way. And this is just a first step of many that we
will take on this committee to get America back on track to a balanced
budget.
Mr. Chairman, the Members of the minority and our staff have been
working to put together an en bloc amendment so we can attempt to
continue to expedite this process and ensure that this bill is done as
quickly as possible in order that, again, our men and women in uniform
can have the peace of mind of knowing they're taken care of--there is
no bubble in the logistical supply chain. And they are not going to
have to worry about disability claims if they go to a veterans
hospital, or make sure their housing needs are taken care of on bases.
We have an en bloc amendment, Mr. Chairman, that should be on the
brink of being ready for consideration so that we can move very rapidly
to passage of this bill and get it over to the Senate--because we know
how long it sometimes takes the Senate to get things done.
I yield to my good friend from Georgia.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
We have, I think, presented a good bill, with the caveats that have
been expressed by Ranking Member Dicks and myself, along with Mr. Farr.
At this time, we are prepared to entertain the amendments. I think the
chairman has some en bloc amendments that he would like to offer. We
are happy to entertain those and move forward at this time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment
under the 5-minute rule.
During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chair may accord
priority in recognition to a Member offering an amendment who has
caused it to be printed in the designated place in the Congressional
Record. Those amendments will be considered read.
The Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2055
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the
following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for military
construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and
for other purposes, namely:
TITLE I
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Military Construction, Army
(including rescission of funds)
For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, military
installations, facilities, and real property for the Army as
currently authorized by law, including personnel in the Army
Corps of Engineers and other personal services necessary for
the purposes of this appropriation, and for construction and
operation of facilities in support of the functions of the
Commander in Chief, $3,141,491,000, to remain available until
September 30, 2016: Provided, That of this amount, not to
exceed $255,241,000 shall be available for study, planning,
design, architect and engineer services, and host nation
support, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of Army
determines that additional obligations are necessary for such
purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress of the determination and the reasons
therefor: Provided further, That of the unobligated balances
available for ``Military Construction, Army'' from prior
appropriations Acts (other than appropriations designated by
law as being for contingency operations directly related to
the global war on terrorism or as an emergency requirement),
$100,000,000 are hereby rescinded.
Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps
(including rescission of funds)
For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, naval installations,
facilities, and real property for the Navy and Marine Corps
as currently authorized by law, including personnel in the
Naval Facilities Engineering Command and other personal
services necessary for the purposes of this appropriation,
$2,461,547,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016:
Provided, That of this amount, not to exceed $84,362,000
shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect
and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the
Secretary of the Navy determines that additional obligations
are necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further,
That of the unobligated balances available for ``Military
Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'' from prior
appropriations Acts (other than appropriations designated by
law as being for contigency operations directly related to
the global war on terrorism or as an emergency requirement),
$25,000,000 are hereby rescinded.
Military Construction, Air Force
(including rescission of funds)
For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, military
installations, facilities, and real property for the Air
Force as currently authorized by law, $1,279,358,000, to
remain available until September 30, 2016: Provided, That of
this amount, not to exceed $81,913,000 shall be available for
study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services,
as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of the Air Force
determines that additional obligations are necessary for such
purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress of the determination and the reasons
therefor: Provided further, That of the unobligated balances
available for ``Military Construction, Air Force'' from prior
appropriations Acts (other than appropriations designated by
law as being for contigency operations directly related to
the global war on terrorism or as an emergency requirement),
$32,000,000 are hereby rescinded.
Military Construction, Defense-Wide
(including transfer and rescission of funds)
For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, installations,
facilities, and real property for activities and agencies of
the Department of Defense (other than the military
departments), as currently authorized by law, $3,665,157,000,
to remain available until September 30, 2016: Provided, That
such amounts of this appropriation as may be determined by
the Secretary of Defense may be transferred to such
appropriations of the Department of Defense available for
military construction or family housing as the Secretary may
designate, to be merged with and to be available for the same
purposes, and for the same time period, as the appropriation
or fund to which transferred: Provided further, That of the
amount appropriated, not to exceed $454,602,000 shall be
available for study, planning, design, and architect and
engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary
of Defense determines that additional obligations are
necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further,
That of the amount appropriated, notwithstanding any other
provision of law, $24,118,000 shall be available for payments
to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the planning,
design, and construction of a new North Atlantic Treaty
Organization headquarters: Provided further, That of the
unobligated balances available for ``Military Construction,
Defense-Wide'' in prior appropriations Acts (other than
appropriations designated by law as being for contingency
operations directly related to the global war on terrorism or
as an emergency requirement), $131,400,000 are hereby
rescinded.
Military Construction, Army National Guard
For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Army National Guard, and contributions
therefore, as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United
States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts,
$773,592,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016:
Provided, That of the amount appropriated, not to exceed
$20,671,000 shall be available for study, planning, design,
and architect and engineer services, as authorized by law,
unless the Secretary of Defense determines that additional
obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of
the determination and the reasons therefor.
Military Construction, Air National Guard
For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities
[[Page H3970]]
for the training and administration of the Air National
Guard, and contributions therefor, as authorized by chapter
1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military
Construction Authorization Acts, $116,246,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2016: Provided, That of the
amount appropriated, not to exceed $9,000,000 shall be
available for study, planning, design, and architect and
engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary
of Defense determines that additional obligations are
necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor.
Military Construction, Army Reserve
For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Army Reserve as authorized by chapter
1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military
Construction Authorization Acts, $280,549,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2016: Provided, That of the
amount appropriated, not to exceed $28,924,000 shall be
available for study, planning, design, and architect and
engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary
of Defense determines that additional obligations are
necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor.
Military Construction, Navy Reserve
For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the reserve components of the Navy and
Marine Corps as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10,
United States Code, and Military Construction Authorization
Acts, $26,299,000, to remain available until September 30,
2016: Provided, That of the amount appropriated, not to
exceed $2,591,000 shall be available for study, planning,
design, and architect and engineer services, as authorized by
law, unless the Secretary of Defense determines that
additional obligations are necessary for such purposes and
notifies the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress of the determination and the reasons therefor.
Military Construction, Air Force Reserve
For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the reserve components of the Air Force
Reserve as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United
States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts,
$33,620,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016:
Provided, That of the amount appropriated, not to exceed
$2,200,000 shall be available for study, planning, design,
and architect and engineer services, as authorized by law,
unless the Secretary of Defense determines that additional
obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of
the determination and the reasons therefor.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Security Investment Program
For the United States share of the cost of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program for
the acquisition and construction of military facilities and
installations (including international military headquarters)
and for related expenses for the collective defense of the
North Atlantic Treaty Area as authorized by section 2806 of
title 10, United States Code, and Military Construction
Authorization Acts, $272,611,000, to remain available until
expended.
Family Housing Construction, Army
For expenses of family housing for the Army for
construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition,
expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law,
$186,897,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016.
Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Army
For expenses of family housing for the Army for operation
and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, minor
construction, principal and interest charges, and insurance
premiums, as authorized by law, $494,858,000.
Family Housing Construction, Navy and Marine Corps
For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine
Corps for construction, including acquisition, replacement,
addition, expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized
by law, $100,972,000, to remain available until September 30,
2016.
Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Navy and Marine Corps
For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine
Corps for operation and maintenance, including debt payment,
leasing, minor construction, principal and interest charges,
and insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $367,863,000.
Family Housing Construction, Air Force
For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for
construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition,
expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law,
$84,804,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016.
Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Air Force
For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for
operation and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing,
minor construction, principal and interest charges, and
insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $404,761,000.
Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide
For expenses of family housing for the activities and
agencies of the Department of Defense (other than the
military departments) for operation and maintenance, leasing,
and minor construction, as authorized by law, $50,723,000.
Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund
For the Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement
Fund, $2,184,000, to remain available until expended, for
family housing initiatives undertaken pursuant to section
2883 of title 10, United States Code, providing alternative
means of acquiring and improving military family housing and
supporting facilities.
Homeowners Assistance Fund
For the Homeowners Assistance Fund established by section
1013 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development
Act of 1966, (42 U.S.C. 3374), as amended, $1,284,000, to
remain available until expended.
Chemical Demilitarization Construction, Defense-Wide
For expenses of construction, not otherwise provided for,
necessary for the destruction of the United States stockpile
of lethal chemical agents and munitions in accordance with
section 1412 of the Department of Defense Authorization Act,
1986 (50 U.S.C. 1521), and for the destruction of other
chemical warfare materials that are not in the chemical
weapon stockpile, as currently authorized by law,
$75,312,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016,
which shall be only for the Assembled Chemical Weapons
Alternatives Program.
Department of Defense Base Closure Account 1990
For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure
Account 1990, established by section 2906(a)(1) of the
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C.
2687 note), $373,543,000, to remain available until expended.
Department of Defense Base Closure Account 2005
(including rescission of funds)
For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure
Account 2005, established by section 2906A(a)(1) of the
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C.
2687 note), $258,776,000, to remain available until expended:
Provided, That the Department of Defense shall notify the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress 14
days prior to obligating an amount for a construction project
that exceeds or reduces the amount identified for that
project in the most recently submitted budget request for
this account by 20 percent or $2,000,000, whichever is less:
Provided further, That the previous proviso shall not apply
to projects costing less than $5,000,000, except for those
projects not previously identified in any budget submission
for this account and exceeding the minor construction
threshold under section 2805 of title 10, United States Code:
Provided further, That of the unobligated balances available
under this heading from prior appropriation Acts (other than
appropriations designated by law as being for contingency
operations directly related to the global war on terrorism or
as an emergency requirement), $50,000,000 are hereby
rescinded, which represent savings resulting from favorable
bids.
Administrative Provisions
Sec. 101. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be expended for payments under a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee
contract for construction, where cost estimates exceed
$25,000, to be performed within the United States, except
Alaska, without the specific approval in writing of the
Secretary of Defense setting forth the reasons therefor.
Sec. 102. Funds made available in this title for
construction shall be available for hire of passenger motor
vehicles.
Sec. 103. Funds made available in this title for
construction may be used for advances to the Federal Highway
Administration, Department of Transportation, for the
construction of access roads as authorized by section 210 of
title 23, United States Code, when projects authorized
therein are certified as important to the national defense by
the Secretary of Defense.
Sec. 104. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used to begin construction of new bases in the United
States for which specific appropriations have not been made.
Sec. 105. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be used for purchase of land or land easements in
excess of 100 percent of the value as determined by the Army
Corps of Engineers or the Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, except: (1) where there is a determination of value
by a Federal court; (2) purchases negotiated by the Attorney
General or the designee of the Attorney General; (3) where
the estimated value is less than $25,000; or (4) as otherwise
determined by the Secretary of Defense to be in the public
interest.
Sec. 106. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be used to: (1) acquire land; (2) provide for site
preparation; or (3) install utilities for any family housing,
except housing for which funds have been made available
[[Page H3971]]
in annual Acts making appropriations for military
construction.
Sec. 107. None of the funds made available in this title
for minor construction may be used to transfer or relocate
any activity from one base or installation to another,
without prior notification to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 108. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used for the procurement of steel for any construction
project or activity for which American steel producers,
fabricators, and manufacturers have been denied the
opportunity to compete for such steel procurement.
Sec. 109. None of the funds available to the Department of
Defense for military construction or family housing during
the current fiscal year may be used to pay real property
taxes in any foreign nation.
Sec. 110. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used to initiate a new installation overseas without
prior notification to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 111. None of the funds made available in this title
may be obligated for architect and engineer contracts
estimated by the Government to exceed $500,000 for projects
to be accomplished in Japan, in any North Atlantic Treaty
Organization member country, or in countries within the
United States Central Command Area of Responsibility, unless
such contracts are awarded to United States firms or United
States firms in joint venture with host nation firms.
Sec. 112. None of the funds made available in this title
for military construction in the United States territories
and possessions in the Pacific and on Kwajalein Atoll, or in
countries within the United States Central Command Area of
Responsibility, may be used to award any contract estimated
by the Government to exceed $1,000,000 to a foreign
contractor: Provided, That this section shall not be
applicable to contract awards for which the lowest responsive
and responsible bid of a United States contractor exceeds the
lowest responsive and responsible bid of a foreign contractor
by greater than 20 percent: Provided further, That this
section shall not apply to contract awards for military
construction on Kwajalein Atoll for which the lowest
responsive and responsible bid is submitted by a Marshallese
contractor.
Sec. 113. The Secretary of Defense shall inform the
appropriate committees of both Houses of Congress, including
the Committees on Appropriations, of plans and scope of any
proposed military exercise involving United States personnel
30 days prior to its occurring, if amounts expended for
construction, either temporary or permanent, are anticipated
to exceed $100,000.
Sec. 114. Not more than 20 percent of the funds made
available in this title which are limited for obligation
during the current fiscal year shall be obligated during the
last 2 months of the fiscal year.
Sec. 115. Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense
for construction in prior years shall be available for
construction authorized for each such military department by
the authorizations enacted into law during the current
session of Congress.
Sec. 116. For military construction or family housing
projects that are being completed with funds otherwise
expired or lapsed for obligation, expired or lapsed funds may
be used to pay the cost of associated supervision,
inspection, overhead, engineering and design on those
projects and on subsequent claims, if any.
Sec. 117. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any
funds made available to a military department or defense
agency for the construction of military projects may be
obligated for a military construction project or contract, or
for any portion of such a project or contract, at any time
before the end of the fourth fiscal year after the fiscal
year for which funds for such project were made available, if
the funds obligated for such project: (1) are obligated from
funds available for military construction projects; and (2)
do not exceed the amount appropriated for such project, plus
any amount by which the cost of such project is increased
pursuant to law.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 118. In addition to any other transfer authority
available to the Department of Defense, proceeds deposited to
the Department of Defense Base Closure Account established by
section 207(a)(1) of the Defense Authorization Amendments and
Base Closure and Realignment Act (10 U.S.C. 2687 note)
pursuant to section 207(a)(2)(C) of such Act, may be
transferred to the account established by section 2906(a)(1)
of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10
U.S.C. 2687 note), to be merged with, and to be available for
the same purposes and the same time period as that account.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 119. Subject to 30 days prior notification, or 14
days for a notification provided in an electronic medium
pursuant to sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States
Code, to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress, such additional amounts as may be determined by the
Secretary of Defense may be transferred to: (1) the
Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund from
amounts appropriated for construction in ``Family Housing''
accounts, to be merged with and to be available for the same
purposes and for the same period of time as amounts
appropriated directly to the Fund; or (2) the Department of
Defense Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund from
amounts appropriated for construction of military
unaccompanied housing in ``Military Construction'' accounts,
to be merged with and to be available for the same purposes
and for the same period of time as amounts appropriated
directly to the Fund: Provided, That appropriations made
available to the Funds shall be available to cover the costs,
as defined in section 502(5) of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, of direct loans or loan guarantees issued by the
Department of Defense pursuant to the provisions of
subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code,
pertaining to alternative means of acquiring and improving
military family housing, military unaccompanied housing, and
supporting facilities.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 120. In addition to any other transfer authority
available to the Department of Defense, amounts may be
transferred from the accounts established by sections
2906(a)(1) and 2906A(a)(1) of the Defense Base Closure and
Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. 2687 note), to the fund
established by subsection (d) of section 1013 of the
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966
(42 U.S.C. 3374) to pay for expenses associated with the
Homeowners Assistance Program incurred under subsection
(a)(1)(A) of such section 1013. Any amounts transferred shall
be merged with and be available for the same purposes and for
the same time period as the fund to which transferred.
Sec. 121. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
funds made available in this title for operation and
maintenance of family housing shall be the exclusive source
of funds for repair and maintenance of all family housing
units, including general or flag officer quarters: Provided,
That not more than $35,000 per unit may be spent annually for
the maintenance and repair of any general or flag officer
quarters without 30 days prior notification, or 14 days for a
notification provided in an electronic medium pursuant to
sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States Code, to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress,
except that an after-the-fact notification shall be submitted
if the limitation is exceeded solely due to costs associated
with environmental remediation that could not be reasonably
anticipated at the time of the budget submission: Provided
further, That the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
is to report annually to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress all operation and maintenance
expenditures for each individual general or flag officer
quarters for the prior fiscal year.
Sec. 122. Amounts contained in the Ford Island Improvement
Account established by subsection (h) of section 2814 of
title 10, United States Code, are appropriated and shall be
available until expended for the purposes specified in
subsection (i)(1) of such section or until transferred
pursuant to subsection (i)(3) of such section.
Sec. 123. None of the funds made available in this title,
or in any Act making appropriations for military construction
which remain available for obligation, may be obligated or
expended to carry out a military construction, land
acquisition, or family housing project at or for a military
installation approved for closure, or at a military
installation for the purposes of supporting a function that
has been approved for realignement to another installation,
in 2005 under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of
1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101-510: 10 U.S.C.
2687 note), unless such a project at a military installation
approved for realignment will support a continuing mission or
function at that installation or a new mission or function
that is planned for that installation, or unless the
Secretary of Defense certifies that the cost to the United
States of carrying out such project would be less than the
cost to the United States of cancelling such project, or if
the project is at an active component base that shall be
established as an enclave or in the case of projects having
multi-agency use, that another Government agency has
indicated it will assume ownership of the completed project.
The Secretary of Defense may not transfer funds made
available as a result of this limitation from any military
construction project, land acquisition, or family housing
project to another account or use such funds for another
purpose or project without the prior approval of the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress. This
section shall not apply to military construction projects,
land acquisition, or family housing projects for which the
project is vital to the national security or the protection
of health, safety, or environmental quality: Provided, That
the Secretary of Defense shall notify the congressional
defense committees within seven days of a decision to carry
out such a military construction project.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 124. During the 5-year period after appropriations
available in this Act to the Department of Defense for
military construction and family housing operation and
maintenance and construction have expired for obligation,
upon a determination that such appropriations will not be
necessary for the liquidation of obligations or for making
authorized adjustments to such appropriations for obligations
incurred during the period of availability of such
appropriations, unobligated balances of such appropriations
may be transferred into the appropriation ``Foreign Currency
Fluctuations, Construction,
[[Page H3972]]
Defense'', to be merged with and to be available for the same
time period and for the same purposes as the appropriation to
which transferred.
Sec. 125. Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available
in an account funded under the headings in this title may be
transferred among projects and activities within the account
in accordance with the reprogramming guidelines for military
construction and family housing construction contained in the
report of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives to accompany this bill and in the guidance
for military construction reprogrammings and notifications
contained in Department of Defense Financial Management
Regulation 7000.14 -- R, Volume 3, Chapter 7, of February
2009, as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
(rescission of funds)
Sec. 126. Of the unobligated balances available for ``Base
Realignment and Closure Account, 1990'' from prior
appropriations Acts (other than appropriations designated by
law as being for contingency operations directly related to
the global war on terrorism or as an emergency requirement),
$100,000,000 are hereby rescinded.
Sec. 127. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of Defense to take beneficial
occupancy of more than 1,000 parking spaces provided by the
combination spaces provided by the BRAC 133 project and the
lease of spaces in the immediate vicinity of the BRAC 133
project.
Sec. 128. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used for any action that relates to or promotes the
expansion of the boundaries or size of the Pinon Canyon
Maneuver Site, Colorado.
Sec. 129. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of the Army to relocate a unit of
the Army that would impact more than 200 personnel,
calculated as the sum of impacted members of the regular or
reserve components of the Army, civilian employees of the
Department of the Army, and Army contractor personnel, unless
the Secretary certifies to the congressional defense
committees that the Secretary complied with Army Regulation
5-10 relating to the policy, procedures, and responsibilities
for Army stationing actions.
TITLE II
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Benefits Administration
compensation and pensions
(including transfer of funds)
For the payment of compensation benefits to or on behalf of
veterans and a pilot program for disability examinations as
authorized by section 107 and chapters 11, 13, 18, 51, 53,
55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; pension benefits
to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 15, 51,
53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; and burial
benefits, the Reinstated Entitlement Program for Survivors,
emergency and other officers' retirement pay, adjusted-
service credits and certificates, payment of premiums due on
commercial life insurance policies guaranteed under the
provisions of title IV of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
(50 U.S.C. App. 541 et seq.) and for other benefits as
authorized by sections 107, 1312, 1977, and 2106, and
chapters 23, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States
Code, $58,067,319,000, to remain available until expended:
Provided, That not to exceed $32,187,000 of the amount
appropriated under this heading shall be reimbursed to
``General operating expenses, Veterans Benefits
Administration'', ``Medical support and compliance'', and
``Information technology systems'' for necessary expenses in
implementing the provisions of chapters 51, 53, and 55 of
title 38, United States Code, the funding source for which is
specifically provided as the ``Compensation and pensions''
appropriation: Provided further, That such sums as may be
earned on an actual qualifying patient basis, shall be
reimbursed to ``Medical care collections fund'' to augment
the funding of individual medical facilities for nursing home
care provided to pensioners as authorized.
readjustment benefits
For the payment of readjustment and rehabilitation benefits
to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 21, 30,
31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38,
United States Code, $11,011,086,000, to remain available
until expended: Provided, That expenses for rehabilitation
program services and assistance which the Secretary is
authorized to provide under subsection (a) of section 3104 of
title 38, United States Code, other than under paragraphs
(1), (2), (5), and (11) of that subsection, shall be charged
to this account.
veterans insurance and indemnities
For military and naval insurance, national service life
insurance, servicemen's indemnities, service-disabled
veterans insurance, and veterans mortgage life insurance as
authorized by chapters 19 and 21, title 38, United States
Code, $100,252,000, to remain available until expended.
veterans housing benefit program fund
For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, such sums as
may be necessary to carry out the program, as authorized by
subchapters I through III of chapter 37 of title 38, United
States Code: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of
modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That
during fiscal year 2012, within the resources available, not
to exceed $500,000 in gross obligations for direct loans are
authorized for specially adapted housing loans.
In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the
direct and guaranteed loan programs, $154,698,000.
vocational rehabilitation loans program account
For the cost of direct loans, $19,000, as authorized by
chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code: Provided, That
such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall
be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974: Provided further, That funds made available under
this heading are available to subsidize gross obligations for
the principal amount of direct loans not to exceed
$3,019,000.
In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry
out the direct loan program, $343,000, which may be paid to
the appropriation for ``General operating expenses, Veterans
Benefits Administration''.
native american veteran housing loan program account
For administrative expenses to carry out the direct loan
program authorized by subchapter V of chapter 37 of title 38,
United States Code, $1,116,000.
Veterans Health Administration
medical services
For necessary expenses for furnishing, as authorized by
law, inpatient and outpatient care and treatment to
beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs and
veterans described in section 1705(a) of title 38, United
States Code, including care and treatment in facilities not
under the jurisdiction of the Department, and including
medical supplies and equipment, food services, and salaries
and expenses of health care employees hired under title 38,
United States Code, aid to State homes as authorized by
section 1741 of title 38, United States Code, assistance and
support services for careigvers as authorized by section
1720G of title 38, United States Code, and loan repayments
authorized by section 604 of the Caregivers and Veterans
Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163; 124
Stat. 1174; 38 U.S.C. 7681 note) $41,354,000,000, plus
reimbursements, shall become available on October 1, 2012,
and shall remain available until September 30, 2013:
Provided, That, of the amount made available under this
heading $1,000,000,000 shall remain available until September
30, 2014: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other
provision of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish a priority for the provision of medical treatment
for veterans who have service-connected disabilities, lower
income, or have special needs: Provided further, That,
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall give priority funding for the
provision of basic medical benefits to veterans in enrollment
priority groups 1 through 6: Provided further, That,
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs may authorize the dispensing of prescription
drugs from Veterans Health Administration facilities to
enrolled veterans with privately written prescriptions based
on requirements established by the Secretary: Provided
further, That the implementation of the program described in
the previous proviso shall incur no additional cost to the
Department of Veterans Affairs: Provided further, That of the
funds provided in Public Law 112-10 for ``Department of
Veterans Affairs, Medical services'' for fiscal year 2012,
$664,000,000 shall be available only in the fourth quarter of
the fiscal year upon approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of a request from
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to release such funding due
to unanticipated needs related to economic conditions.
medical support and compliance
For necessary expenses in the administration of the
medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction,
supply, and research activities, as authorized by law;
administrative expenses in support of capital policy
activities; and administrative and legal expenses of the
Department for collecting and recovering amounts owed the
Department as authorized under chapter 17 of title 38, United
States Code, and the Federal Medical Care Recovery Act (42
U.S.C. 2651 et seq.); $5,746,000,000, plus reimbursements,
shall become available on October 1, 2012, and shall remain
available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That, of the
amount made available under this heading $100,000,000 shall
remain available until September 30, 2014.
medical facilities
For necessary expenses for the maintenance and operation of
hospitals, nursing homes, domiciliary facilities, and other
necessary facilities of the Veterans Health Administration;
for administrative expenses in support of planning, design,
project management, real property acquisition and
disposition, construction, and renovation of any facility
under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Department; for
oversight, engineering, and architectural activities not
charged to project costs; for repairing, altering, improving,
or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes
under the jurisdiction of the Department, not otherwise
provided for, either by contract or by the hire of temporary
employees and purchase of materials; for leases of
facilities; and for laundry services, $5,441,000,000, plus
reimbursements, shall become available on October 1, 2012,
and shall remain available until September
[[Page H3973]]
30, 2013: Provided, That, of the amount made available under
this heading, $100,000,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2014.
medical and prosthetic research
For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of medical
and prosthetic research and development as authorized by
chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, $508,774,000,
plus reimbursements, shall remain available until September
30, 2013.
National Cemetery Administration
For necessary expenses of the National Cemetery
Administration for operations and maintenance, not otherwise
provided for, including uniforms or allowances therefor;
cemeterial expenses as authorized by law; purchase of one
passenger motor vehicle for use in cemeterial operations;
hire of passenger motor vehicles; and repair, alteration or
improvement of facilities under the jurisdiction of the
National Cemetery Administration, $250,934,000, of which not
to exceed $25,100,000 shall remain available until September
30, 2013: Provided, That no funds shall be made available to
any project associated with the National Cemetery
Administration's Urban Initiative program until a strategy to
serve rural veterans is finalized and operational.
Departmental Administration
general administration
(including transfer of funds)
For necessary operating expenses of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, not otherwise provided for, including
administrative expenses in support of Department-Wide capital
planning, management and policy activities, uniforms, or
allowances therefor; not to exceed $25,000 for official
reception and representation expenses; hire of passenger
motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services
Administration for security guard services, $422,500,000, of
which not to exceed $22,144,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2013: Provided, That $20,000,000 shall be used
to increase the Department's acquisition workforce capacity
and capabilities and may be transferred by the Secretary to
any other account in the Department to carry out the purposes
provided therein: Provided further, That funds provided under
this heading may be transferred to ``General operating
expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration''.
general operating expenses, veterans benefits administration
For necessary operating expenses of the Veterans Benefits
Administration, not otherwise provided for, including hire of
passenger motor vehicles, reimbursement of the General
Services Administration for security guard services, and
reimbursement of the Department of Defense for the cost of
overseas employee mail, $2,020,128,000: Provided, That
expenses for services and assistance authorized under
paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (11) of section 3104(a) of
title 38, United States Code, that the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs determines are necessary to enable entitled veterans:
(1) to the maximum extent feasible, to become employable and
to obtain and maintain suitable employment; or (2) to achieve
maximum independence in daily living, shall be charged to
this account: Provided further, That of the funds made
available under this heading, not to exceed $105,856,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided
further, That from the funds made available under this
heading, the Veterans Benefits Administration may purchase
(on a one-for-one replacement basis only) up to two passenger
motor vehicles for use in operations of that Administration
in Manila, Philippines.
information technology systems
For necessary expenses for information technology systems
and telecommunications support, including developmental
information systems and operational information systems; for
pay and associated costs; and for the capital asset
acquisition of information technology systems, including
management and related contractual costs of said
acquisitions, including contractual costs associated with
operations authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United
States Code, $3,025,000,000, plus reimbursements, shall
remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That
none of the funds made available under this heading may be
obligated until the Department of Veterans Affairs submits to
the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress,
and such Committees approve, a plan for expenditure that: (1)
meets the capital planning and investment control review
requirements established by the Office of Management and
Budget; (2) complies with the Department of Veterans Affairs
enterprise architecture; (3) conforms with an established
enterprise life cycle methodology; and (4) complies with the
acquisition rules, requirements, guidelines, and systems
acquisition management practices of the Federal Government:
Provided further, That not later than 30 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress a reprogramming base letter which
sets forth, by project, the operations and maintenance costs,
with salary expenses separately designated, and development
costs to be carried out utilizing amounts made available
under this heading.
office of inspector general
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General,
to include information technology, in carrying out the
provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C.
App.), $109,391,000, of which $6,000,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2013.
construction, major projects
For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of
the facilities, including parking projects, under the
jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, or for any of the purposes set forth in sections
316, 2404, 2406, 8102, 8103, 8106, 8108, 8109, 8110, and 8122
of title 38, United States Code, including planning,
architectural and engineering services, construction
management services, maintenance or guarantee period services
costs associated with equipment guarantees provided under the
project, services of claims analysts, offsite utility and
storm drainage system construction costs, and site
acquisition, where the estimated cost of a project is more
than the amount set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title
38, United States Code, or where funds for a project were
made available in a previous major project appropriation,
$589,604,000, to remain available until September 30, 2016,
of which $5,000,000 shall be to make reimbursements as
provided in section 13 of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978
(41 U.S.C. 612) for claims paid for contract disputes:
Provided, That except for advance planning activities,
including needs assessments which may or may not lead to
capital investments, and other capital asset management
related activities, including portfolio development and
management activities, and investment strategy studies funded
through the advance planning fund and the planning and design
activities funded through the design fund, including needs
assessments which may or may not lead to capital investments,
and salaries and associated costs of the resident engineers
who oversee those capital investments funded through this
account, and funds provided for the purchase of land for the
National Cemetery Administration through the land acquisition
line item, none of the funds made available under this
heading shall be used for any project which has not been
approved by the Congress in the budgetary process: Provided
further, That funds made available under this heading for
fiscal year 2012, for each approved project shall be
obligated: (1) by the awarding of a construction documents
contract by September 30, 2012; and (2) by the awarding of a
construction contract by September 30, 2013: Provided
further, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
promptly submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress a written report on any approved major
construction project for which obligations are not incurred
within the time limitations established above.
construction, minor projects
For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of
the facilities, including parking projects, under the
jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, including planning and assessments of needs which
may lead to capital investments, architectural and
engineering services, maintenance or guarantee period
services costs associated with equipment guarantees provided
under the project, services of claims analysts, offsite
utility and storm drainage system construction costs, and
site acquisition, or for any of the purposes set forth in
sections 316, 2404, 2406, 8102, 8103, 8106, 8108, 8109, 8110,
8122, and 8162 of title 38, United States Code, where the
estimated cost of a project is equal to or less than the
amount set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United
States Code, $475,091,000, to remain available until
September 30, 2016, along with unobligated balances of
previous ``Construction, minor projects'' appropriations
which are hereby made available for any project where the
estimated cost is equal to or less than the amount set forth
in such section: Provided, That funds made available under
this heading shall be for: (1) repairs to any of the
nonmedical facilities under the jurisdiction or for the use
of the Department which are necessary because of loss or
damage caused by any natural disaster or catastrophe; and (2)
temporary measures necessary to prevent or to minimize
further loss by such causes.
grants for construction of state extended care facilities
For grants to assist States to acquire or construct State
nursing home and domiciliary facilities and to remodel,
modify, or alter existing hospital, nursing home, and
domiciliary facilities in State homes, for furnishing care to
veterans as authorized by sections 8131 through 8137 of title
38, United States Code, $85,000,000, to remain available
until expended.
grants for construction of veterans cemeteries
For grants to assist States and tribal governments in
establishing, expanding, or improving veterans cemeteries as
authorized by section 2408 of title 38, United States Code,
$46,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Administrative Provisions
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 201. Any appropriation for fiscal year 2012 for
``Compensation and pensions'', ``Readjustment benefits'', and
``Veterans insurance and indemnities'' may be transferred as
necessary to any other of the mentioned appropriations:
Provided, That before such transfer may take place, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall request from the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
[[Page H3974]]
Congress the authority to make the transfer and such
Committees issue an approval, or absent a response, a period
of 30 days has elapsed.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 202. Amounts made available for the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2012, in this Act or any
other Act, under the ``Medical services'', ``Medical support
and compliance'', and ``Medical facilities'' accounts may be
transferred among the accounts: Provided, That any transfers
between the ``Medical services'' and ``Medical support and
compliance'' accounts of 1 percent or less of the total
amount appropriated to the account in this or any other Act
may take place subject to notification from the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress of the amount and purpose of the transfer:
Provided further, That any transfers between the ``Medical
services'' and ``Medical support and compliance'' accounts in
excess of 1 percent, or exceeding the cumulative 1 percent
for the fiscal year, may take place only after the Secretary
requests from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress the authority to make the transfer and an
approval is issued: Provided further, That any transfers to
or from the ``Medical facilities'' account may take place
only after the Secretary requests from the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the authority to
make the transfer and an approval is issued.
Sec. 203. Appropriations made available in this title for
salaries and expenses shall be available for services
authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;
hire of passenger motor vehicles; lease of a facility or land
or both; and uniforms or allowances therefore, as authorized
by sections 5901 through 5902 of title 5, United States Code.
Sec. 204. No appropriations in this title (except the
appropriations for ``Construction, major projects'' and
``Construction, minor projects'') shall be available for the
purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any
new Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or home.
Sec. 205. No appropriations in this title shall be
available for hospitalization or examination of any persons
(except beneficiaries entitled to such hospitalization or
examination under the laws providing such benefits to
veterans, and persons receiving such treatment under sections
7901 through 7904 of title 5, United States Code, or the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)), unless reimbursement of the
cost of such hospitalization or examination is made to the
``Medical services'' account at such rates as may be fixed by
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 206. Appropriations available in this title for
``Compensation and pensions'', ``Readjustment benefits'', and
``Veterans insurance and indemnities'' shall be available for
payment of prior year accrued obligations required to be
recorded by law against the corresponding prior year accounts
within the last quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Sec. 207. Appropriations available in this title shall be
available to pay prior year obligations of corresponding
prior year appropriations accounts resulting from sections
3328(a), 3334, and 3712(a) of title 31, United States Code,
except that if such obligations are from trust fund accounts
they shall be payable only from ``Compensation and
pensions''.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 208. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
during fiscal year 2012, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall, from the National Service Life Insurance Fund under
section 1920 of title 38, United States Code, the Veterans'
Special Life Insurance Fund under section 1923 of title 38,
United States Code, and the United States Government Life
Insurance Fund under section 1955 of title 38, United States
Code, reimburse the ``General operating expenses, Veterans
Benefits Administration'' and ``Information technology
systems'' accounts for the cost of administration of the
insurance programs financed through those accounts: Provided,
That reimbursement shall be made only from the surplus
earnings accumulated in such an insurance program during
fiscal year 2012 that are available for dividends in that
program after claims have been paid and actuarially
determined reserves have been set aside: Provided further,
That if the cost of administration of such an insurance
program exceeds the amount of surplus earnings accumulated in
that program, reimbursement shall be made only to the extent
of such surplus earnings: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall determine the cost of administration for
fiscal year 2012 which is properly allocable to the provision
of each such insurance program and to the provision of any
total disability income insurance included in that insurance
program.
Sec. 209. Amounts deducted from enhanced-use lease
proceeds to reimburse an account for expenses incurred by
that account during a prior fiscal year for providing
enhanced-use lease services, may be obligated during the
fiscal year in which the proceeds are received.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 210. Funds available in this title for salaries and
other administrative expenses shall also be available to
reimburse the Office of Resolution Management of the
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Employment
Discrimination Complaint Adjudication under section 319 of
title 38, United States Code, for all services provided at
rates which will recover actual costs but not exceed
$42,904,000 for the Office of Resolution Management and
$3,360,000 for the Office of Employment and Discrimination
Complaint Adjudication: Provided, That payments may be made
in advance for services to be furnished based on estimated
costs: Provided further, That amounts received shall be
credited to the ``General administration'' and ``Information
technology systems'' accounts for use by the office that
provided the service.
Sec. 211. No appropriations in this title shall be
available to enter into any new lease of real property if the
estimated annual rental cost is more than $1,000,000, unless
the Secretary submits a report which the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress approve within 30
days following the date on which the report is received.
Sec. 212. No funds of the Department of Veterans Affairs
shall be available for hospital care, nursing home care, or
medical services provided to any person under chapter 17 of
title 38, United States Code, for a non-service-connected
disability described in section 1729(a)(2) of such title,
unless that person has disclosed to the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, in such form as the Secretary may require, current,
accurate third-party reimbursement information for purposes
of section 1729 of such title: Provided, That the Secretary
may recover, in the same manner as any other debt due the
United States, the reasonable charges for such care or
services from any person who does not make such disclosure as
required: Provided further, That any amounts so recovered for
care or services provided in a prior fiscal year may be
obligated by the Secretary during the fiscal year in which
amounts are received.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 213. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
proceeds or revenues derived from enhanced-use leasing
activities (including disposal) may be deposited into the
``Construction, major projects'' and ``Construction, minor
projects'' accounts and be used for construction (including
site acquisition and disposition), alterations, and
improvements of any medical facility under the jurisdiction
or for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such
sums as realized are in addition to the amount provided for
in ``Construction, major projects'' and ``Construction, minor
projects''.
Sec. 214. Amounts made available under ``Medical
services'' are available--
(1) for furnishing recreational facilities, supplies, and
equipment; and
(2) for funeral expenses, burial expenses, and other
expenses incidental to funerals and burials for beneficiaries
receiving care in the Department.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 215. Such sums as may be deposited to the Medical
Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38,
United States Code, may be transferred to ``Medical
services'', to remain available until expended for the
purposes of that account.
Sec. 216. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into
agreements with Indian tribes and tribal organizations which
are party to the Alaska Native Health Compact with the Indian
Health Service, and Indian tribes and tribal organizations
serving rural Alaska which have entered into contracts with
the Indian Health Service under the Indian Self Determination
and Educational Assistance Act, to provide healthcare,
including behavioral health and dental care. The Secretary
shall require participating veterans and facilities to comply
with all appropriate rules and regulations, as established by
the Secretary. The term ``rural Alaska'' shall mean those
lands sited within the external boundaries of the Alaska
Native regions specified in sections 7(a)(1)-(4) and (7)-(12)
of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43
U.S.C. 1606), and those lands within the Alaska Native
regions specified in sections 7(a)(5) and 7(a)(6) of the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43 U.S.C.
1606), which are not within the boundaries of the
Municipality of Anchorage, the Fairbanks North Star Borough,
the Kenai Peninsula Borough or the Matanuska Susitna Borough.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 217. Such sums as may be deposited to the Department
of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund pursuant to section
8118 of title 38, United States Code, may be transferred to
the ``Construction, major projects'' and ``Construction,
minor projects'' accounts, to remain available until
September 30, 2016 for the purposes of these accounts.
Sec. 218. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used to implement any policy prohibiting the Directors
of the Veterans Integrated Services Networks from conducting
outreach or marketing to enroll new veterans within their
respective Networks.
Sec. 219. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress a quarterly report on the financial status of the
Veterans Health Administration.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 220. Amounts made available under the ``Medical
services'', ``Medical support and compliance'', ``Medical
facilities'', ``General operating expenses, Veterans Benefits
Administration'', ``General administration'', and ``National
Cemetery Administration''
[[Page H3975]]
accounts for fiscal year 2012, may be transferred to or from
the ``Information technology systems'' account: Provided,
That before a transfer may take place, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall request from the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the authority to
make the transfer and an approval is issued.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 221. Amounts made available for the ``Information
technology systems'' account may be transferred between
projects: Provided, That no project may be increased or
decreased by more than $1,000,000 of cost prior to submitting
a request to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress to make the transfer and an approval is issued or
absent a response, a period of 30 days has elapsed.
Sec. 222. Of the amounts made available to the Department
of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2012, in this Act or any
other Act, under the ``Medical facilities'' account for
nonrecurring maintenance, not more than 20 percent of the
funds made available shall be obligated during the last 2
months of that fiscal year: Provided, That the Secretary may
waive this requirement after providing written notice to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 223. Of the amounts appropriated to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2012 for ``Medical
services'', ``Medical support and compliance'', ``Medical
facilities'', ``Construction, minor projects'', and
``Information technology systems'', up to $241,666,000, plus
reimbursements, may be transferred to the Joint Department of
Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility
Demonstration Fund, established by section 1704 of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
(Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 3571) and may be used for
operation of the facilities designated as combined Federal
medical facilities as described by section 706 of the Duncan
Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2009 (Public Law 110-417; 122 Stat. 4500): Provided, That
additional funds may be transferred from accounts designated
in this section to the Joint Department of Defense-Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund upon
written notification by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 224. Such sums as may be deposited to the Medical
Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38,
United States Code, for health care provided at facilities
designated as combined Federal medical facilities as
described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law
110-417; 122 Stat. 4500) shall also be available: (1) for
transfer to the Joint Department of Defense-Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund,
established by section 1704 of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84;
123 Stat. 3571); and (2) for operations of the facilities
designated as combined Federal medical facilities as
described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law
110-417; 122 Stat. 4500).
(including transfer of funds)
Sec. 225. Of the amounts available in this title for
``Medical services'', ``Medical support and compliance'', and
``Medical facilities'', a minimum of $15,000,000, shall be
transferred to the DOD-VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund,
as authorized by section 8111(d) of title 38, United States
Code, to remain until expended, for any purpose authorized by
section 8111 of title 38, United States Code.
(including rescission of funds)
Sec. 226. (a) Of the funds appropriated in title X of
division B of Public Law 112-10, the following amounts which
become available on October 1, 2011, are hereby rescinded
from the following accounts in the amounts specified:
(1) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical services'',
$1,000,000,000.
(2) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical support and
compliance'', $100,000,000.
(3) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical facilities'',
$100,000,000.
(b) In addition to amounts provided elsewhere in this Act,
an additional amount is appropriated to the following
accounts in the amounts specified, to remain available until
September 30, 2013:
(1) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical services'',
$1,000,000,000.
(2) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical support and
compliance'', $100,000,000.
(3) ``Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical facilities'',
$100,000,000.
Sec. 227. The Secretary of the Department of Veterans
Affairs shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress of all bid savings in major construction
projects that total at least $5,000,000, or 5 percent of the
programmed amount of the project, whichever is less:
Provided, That such notification shall occur within 14 days
of entering into a contract: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall notify the committees 14 days prior to the
obligation of such bid savings and shall describe the
anticipated use of such savings.
Sec. 228. The scope of work for a project included in
``Construction, major projects'' may not be increased above
the scope specified for that project in the original
justification data provided to the Congress as part of the
request for appropriations.
Sec. 229. (a) Section 5701 of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(l)(1) The Secretary shall disclose to a State controlled
substance monitoring program, including a program under
section 399O of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g-3), the name and address of a veteran or a dependent of
a veteran to the extent necessary to prevent misuse and
diversion of prescription medicines.
``(2) In this subsection, the terms `State' and `controlled
substance' have the meaning given such terms in section
399O(m) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-
3(m)).''.
(b) Section 7332(b)(2) of title 38, Unites States Code is
amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(G)(i) To a State controlled substance monitoring
program, including a program under section 399O of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-3), to the extent
necessary to prevent misuse and diversion of prescription
medicines.
``(ii) In this subparagraph, the terms `State' and
`controlled substance' have the meanings given such terms in
section 399O(m) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280g-3(m)).''.
Sec. 230. Not more than $250,000 may be used by the
Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct any single national
outreach and awareness marketing campaign, including
motorsports sponsorship, prior to submitting a request to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress and
an approval is issued or absent a response, a period of 30
days has elapsed.
TITLE III
RELATED AGENCIES
American Battle Monuments Commission
salaries and expenses
For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the
American Battle Monuments Commission, including the
acquisition of land or interest in land in foreign countries;
purchases and repair of uniforms for caretakers of national
cemeteries and monuments outside of the United States and its
territories and possessions; rent of office and garage space
in foreign countries; purchase (one-for-one replacement basis
only) and hire of passenger motor vehicles; not to exceed
$7,500 for official reception and representation expenses;
and insurance of official motor vehicles in foreign
countries, when required by law of such countries,
$61,100,000, to remain available until expended.
foreign currency fluctuations account
For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the
American Battle Monuments Commission, such sums as may be
necessary, to remain available until expended, for purposes
authorized by section 2109 of title 36, United States Code.
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
salaries and expenses
For necessary expenses for the operation of the United
States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as authorized by
sections 7251 through 7298 of title 38, United States Code,
$30,770,000: Provided, That $2,726,363 shall be available for
the purpose of providing financial assistance as described,
and in accordance with the process and reporting procedures
set forth, under this heading in Public Law 102-229.
Department of Defense--Civil
Cemeterial Expenses, Army
salaries and expenses
For necessary expenses, as authorized by law, for
maintenance, operation, and improvement of Arlington National
Cemetery and Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery,
including the purchase or lease of passenger motor vehicles
for replacement on a one-for-one basis only, and not to
exceed $1,000 for official reception and representation
expenses, $45,800,000, to remain available until expended. In
addition, such sums as may be necessary for parking
maintenance, repairs and replacement, to be derived from the
``Lease of Department of Defense Real Property for Defense
Agencies'' account.
Funds appropriated under this Act may be provided to
Arlington County, Virginia, for the relocation of the
federally-owned water main at Arlington National Cemetery
making additional land available for ground burials.
Armed Forces Retirement Home
trust fund
For expenses necessary for the Armed Forces Retirement Home
to operate and maintain the Armed Forces Retirement Home--
Washington, District of Columbia, and the Armed Forces
Retirement Home--Gulfport, Mississippi, to be paid from funds
available in the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund,
$67,700,000, of which $2,000,000 shall remain available until
expended for construction and renovation of the physical
plants at the Armed Forces Retirement Home--Washington,
District of Columbia, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home--
Gulfport, Mississippi.
TITLE IV
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 401. No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall remain available for
[[Page H3976]]
obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless expressly so
provided herein.
Sec. 402. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used for any program, project, or activity, when it is
made known to the Federal entity or official to which the
funds are made available that the program, project, or
activity is not in compliance with any Federal law relating
to risk assessment, the protection of private property
rights, or unfunded mandates.
Sec. 403. No part of any funds appropriated in this Act
shall be used by an agency of the executive branch, other
than for normal and recognized executive-legislative
relationships, for publicity or propaganda purposes, or for
the preparation, distribution, or use of any kit, pamphlet,
booklet, publication, radio, television, or film presentation
designed to support or defeat legislation pending before
Congress, except in presentation to Congress itself.
Sec. 404. All departments and agencies funded under this
Act are encouraged, within the limits of the existing
statutory authorities and funding, to expand their use of
``E-Commerce'' technologies and procedures in the conduct of
their business practices and public service activities.
Sec. 405. Unless stated otherwise, all reports and
notifications required by this Act shall be submitted to the
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs,
and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Subcommittee on Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
Sec. 406. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used for a project or program named for an individual
serving as a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of
the United States House of Representatives.
Sec. 407. (a) Any agency receiving funds made available in
this Act, shall, subject to subsections (b) and (c), post on
the public website of that agency any report required to be
submitted by the Congress in this or any other Act, upon the
determination by the head of the agency that it shall serve
the national interest.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a report if--
(1) the public posting of the report compromises national
security; or
(2) the report contains confidential or proprietary
information.
(c) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so
only after such report has been made available to the
requesting Committee or Committees of Congress for no less
than 45 days.
Sec. 408. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be distributed to the Association of Community Organizations
for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries or successors.
Sec. 409. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act
may be used to maintain or establish a computer network
unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and
exchanging of pornography.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds
necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law
enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal
investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities.
Sec. 410. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available in this Act may be used by an agency of the
executive branch to pay for first-class travel by an employee
of the agency in contravention of sections 301-10.122 through
301-10.124 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.
Sec. 411. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available in this Act may be used by an agency of the
executive branch to exercise the power of eminent domain (to
take private property for public use) without the payment of
just compensation.
Sec. 412. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to the Department of Defense in this Act may be
used to renovate, expand, or construct any facility in the
continental United States for the purpose of housing any
individual who has been detained, at any time after September
11, 2001, at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba.
Sec. 413. None of the funds provided in this Act may be
used to execute a contract for goods or services, including
construction services, where the contractor has not complied
with Executive Order 12989.
Mr. CULBERSON (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous
consent that the remainder of the bill through page 60, line 9, be
considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any
point.
The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Texas?
There was no objection.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Culberson
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
On page 29, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert
(reduced by $20,000,000) (increased by $20,000,000)
Page 31, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reducted by $100,000) (increased by $100,000)''.
Page 32, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $22,000,000)''.
Page 33, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $22,000,000)''.
Page 34, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert the
following: ``(reduced by $100,000) (increased by $100,000)''.
Page 35, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced
by $70,000,000) (increased by $70,000,000)''.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that debate on
this amendment, and any amendments thereto, be limited to 10 minutes,
to be equally divided and controlled by myself and the ranking member.
The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Texas?
There was no objection.
{time} 1950
The CHAIR. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. CULBERSON. This is an amendment which we've worked hard again to
come up with arm in arm in a cooperative, bipartisan way to increase,
for example--we're making sure we've got $20 million set aside for
suicide prevention outreach. A terrible, terrible problem among
veterans and a high priority for us to do everything we can to help
prevent suicide, that amendment offered by Congressmen Holt and Runyan.
Also, this is another amendment we are submitting to attempt to
reduce wait times for mental health services, also to increase research
funding by $22 million offset by a reduction in general administration.
And also, Mr. Chairman, to set aside $100,000 for the purpose of a
study of Veterans Affairs, VA historic properties.
I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
Mr. HOLT. I thank the gentleman, and I appreciate that this
bipartisan amendment offered by my colleague Representative Runyan of
New Jersey has been accepted by the majority, and I thank Chair
Culberson and Ranking Member Bishop and their staffs for making this
possible.
As you may know, Mr. Chairman, last month the Federal Ninth Circuit
Court sided with two veterans groups that sued the Department of
Veterans Affairs for failing to provide timely care to veterans at risk
of suicide. The court noted that on average, 18 veterans per day take
their own lives. I'll repeat. On average, 18 veterans per day take
their own lives. We must end this suicide epidemic.
This amendment is one important step in that process. Our amendment
is simple. It fences $20 million of the billion dollars in advance
funding for the VA for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and dedicates these
funds to suicide prevention outreach. Specifically, our intention is to
use television ads and social media. We know that when veterans are
made aware of the national suicide prevention number, which is 1-800-
273-TALK, they use it. And lives are saved. 1-800-273-TALK. Indeed, in
the State of New Jersey, we have our own veteran counseling hotline,
the Vet-to-Vet Program run by the University of Medicine and Dentistry
in New Jersey.
Since it went live a half dozen years ago, no New Jersey Guard member
who has used its services has taken his or her own life. It is a
successful program. We want to see this expanded. When we get the word
out about these counseling services, we save lives. It's past time that
we push the VA to do the advertising and the outreach that's necessary
to reach the people who need it.
This amendment is budget neutral, it's vitally needed, and I thank my
colleagues for carrying it forward.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased at this time to yield such
time as he may consume to my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan).
Mr. RUNYAN. Thank you for the time.
I thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) for his work on this
amendment.
Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Holt-Runyan amendment,
which takes further steps towards keeping veterans alive by dedicating
$20 million of suicide prevention outreach within the VA for fiscal
year 2012.
Suicide is always tragic, but suicide by a veteran, especially young
veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, is especially troubling. VA officials
tell us that one in five suicides in America is a veteran, and that the
suicide rate of male veterans is twice that of the general population.
While most of these are older
[[Page H3977]]
veterans, young male veterans are still more likely to commit suicide
than those who have never served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
When the suicide rate of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan spiked in
2004, Congress responded by increasing VA's budget for mental health by
nearly a third. This allowed VA to create a veterans crisis line and
place suicide prevention coordinators in every medical center.
But if any veteran who needs help cannot get help or does not know it
is available, the program is a failure. As I said before, every suicide
is tragic. And more must be done.
This is why I strongly support this amendment which would give the VA
the necessary additional resources to let veterans know, through TV and
social media, to reach out to our veterans. I hope all of my colleagues
will stand with me and my colleague, Mr. Holt, in support of this
amendment.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
Ms. MOORE. Thank you so much to the gentleman from Georgia.
I rise to support this omnibus amendment and for the purpose of
directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine its practices
on how it plans to rehabilitate and reuse national landmarks that are
aging, outdated, or in obsolete condition within the VA infrastructure
and issue a report to Congress no later than January 1, 2012, on any
actions taken or planned to be taken to rehabilitate and use these
national landmarks, to fulfill its responsibilities under section 106
of the National Historic Preservation and to our veterans.
An example of these landmarks is the Milwaukee Soldier's Home, built
in 1867, one of the original soldier's homes established by
congressional legislation and approved by President Abraham Lincoln on
March 3, 1865. The soldier's home reflects how our foresisters chose to
care for and honor the soldiers who fought to keep the country united
as one Nation.
I say foresisters because it was the ladies of Milwaukee's West Side
Soldiers Aid Society whose tenacity and dedication made it possible to
raise the funds necessary to create the Milwaukee Home for Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers which they generously gifted to the soldier's home
system, a forerunner of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This summer, on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the soldier's
home will hopefully be dedicated as a national historic landmark.
I urge the Department of Veterans Affairs to send a report to
Congress.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I would note we're pleased to support
this amendment. As the gentlewoman has just pointed out, this Veterans
Hospital was created, I think she said March 30 of 1865. That would
have been one of the last acts on Earth of President Abraham Lincoln.
So we're pleased to accept her amendment to ensure the preservation of
this very historic and important piece of American history.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. We want to commend the gentlelady for her
amendment and her compassion in offering it.
While I have the time, let me discuss the Altmire amendment which has
been offered, and Mr. Altmire, I believe, is on his way to the floor.
This amendment will move $22 million from the Veterans Administration's
general administration account to the medical and prosthetic research
account.
A recent Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs heard testimony from
wounded soldiers about the disparity of prosthetics technologies
between the Department of Defense and the veterans health care. This
amendment will restore some of the funding that was cut from the
medical and prosthetic research account by taking a small dollar amount
from the VA general administration account.
Wounded warriors are deserving of no less than this Nation's full
commitment. I rise in strong support of this amendment.
I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 2000
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I do support Mr. Altmire's amendment.
Obviously, we are all committed to supporting prosthetics research.
Our military doctors have done an extraordinary job of saving the lives
of these young men and women who are wounded in combat, and we want to
make sure we are giving them all the support they need.
I am glad Mr. Altmire has brought this amendment to us. I understand
he is on the way to the floor because he would like to speak on his
amendment.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Culberson).
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, in an effort to expedite consideration
of this bill and ensure our men and women in uniform get all the help
they need as soon as possible, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Runyan) having assumed the chair, Mr. Terry, Chair of the Committee of
the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that
Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2055) making
appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans
Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2012, and for other purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.
____________________