[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1744. Mrs. FEINSTEIN submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 
1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military 
activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1085. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
                   PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                   FOR WHICH AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATED.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations 
     Act, 2015 (Public Law 113-235) appropriated to the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs--
       (A) $35,000,000 to make seismic corrections to Building 205 
     in the West Los Angeles Medical Center of the Department in 
     Los Angeles, California, which, according to the Department, 
     is a building that is designated as having an exceptionally 
     high risk of sustaining substantial damage or collapsing 
     during an earthquake;
       (B) $101,900,000 to replace the community living center and 
     mental health facilities of the Department in Long Beach, 
     California, which, according to the Department, are 
     designated as having an exceptionally high risk of sustaining 
     substantial damage or collapsing during an earthquake;
       (C) $187,500,000 to replace the existing spinal cord injury 
     clinic of the Department in San Diego, California, which, 
     according to the Department, is designated as having an 
     extremely high risk of sustaining major damage during an 
     earthquake; and
       (D) $122,400,000 to make renovations to address substantial 
     safety and compliance issues at the medical center of the 
     Department in Canandaigua, New York, and for the construction 
     of a new clinic and community living center at such medical 
     center.
       (2) The Department is unable to obligate or expend the 
     amounts described in paragraph (1) because it lacks an 
     explicit authorization by an Act of Congress pursuant to 
     section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, to carry 
     out the major medical facility projects described in such 
     paragraph.
       (3) Among the major medical facility projects described in 
     paragraph (1), three are critical seismic safety projects in 
     California.
       (4) Every day that the critical seismic safety projects 
     described in paragraph (3) are delayed puts the lives of 
     veterans and employees of the Department at risk.
       (5) According to the United States Geological Survey--
       (A) California has a 99 percent chance or greater of 
     experiencing an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or greater in the 
     next 30 years;
       (B) even earthquakes of less severity than magnitude 6.7 
     can cause life threatening damage to seismically unsafe 
     buildings; and
       (C) in California, earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater 
     occur on average once every 1.2 years.
       (b) Authorization.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
     carry out the major medical facility projects of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs specified in the explanatory 
     statement accompanying the Consolidated and Further 
     Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113-235) at 
     the locations and in the amounts specified in such 
     explanatory statement, including by obligating and expending 
     such amounts.
                                 ______