[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 166 (Monday, November 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2783. Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. Boxer) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R. 2029, making
appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans
Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2016, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. ___. (a) Congress finds the following:
(1) The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 that was reported
by the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on May 21,
2015, includes the following amounts to be appropriated to
the Department of Veterans Affairs:
(A) $35,000,000 to make seismic corrections to Building 208
at 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) $158,000,000 to provide for the construction of a new
research building, site work, and demolition at the San
Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
(C) $161,000,000 to replace Building 133 with a new
community living center at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs
Medical Center, which, according to the Department, is a
building that is designated as having an extremely high risk
of sustaining major damage during an earthquake.
(D) $468,800,000 for construction projects that are
critical to the Department for ensuring health care access
and safety at medical facilities in Louisville, Kentucky,
Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, Perry Point,
Maryland, American Lake, Washington, Alameda, California, and
Livermore, California.
(2) The Department is unable to obligate or expend the
amounts described in paragraph (1), other than for
construction design, because the Department 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 increases the risk of
a life-threatening building failure in the case of a major
seismic event.
(5) According to the United States Geological Survey--
(A) California has more than a 99 percent chance 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) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the
following major medical facility projects, with each project
to be carried out in an amount not to exceed the amount
specified for that project:
(1) Seismic corrections to buildings, including
retrofitting and replacement of high-risk buildings, in San
Francisco, California, in an amount not to exceed
$180,480,000.
(2) Seismic corrections to facilities, including facilities
to support homeless veterans, at the medical center in West
Los Angeles, California, in an amount not to exceed
$105,500,000.
(3) Seismic corrections to the mental health and community
living center in Long Beach, California, in an amount not to
exceed $287,100,000.
(4) Construction of an outpatient clinic, administrative
space, cemetery, and columbarium in Alameda, California, in
an amount not to exceed $87,332,000.
(5) Realignment of medical facilities in Livermore,
California, in an amount not to exceed $194,430,000.
(6) Construction of a medical center in Louisville,
Kentucky, in an amount not to exceed $150,000,000.
(7) Construction of a replacement community living center
in Perry Point, Maryland, in an amount not to exceed
$92,700,000.
(8) Seismic corrections and other renovations to several
buildings and construction of a specialty care building in
American Lake, Washington, in an amount not to exceed
$16,260,000.
(c) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2016 or the year in which
funds are appropriated for the Construction, Major Projects,
account, $1,113,802,000 for the projects authorized in
subsection (b).
(d) The projects authorized in subsection (b) may only be
carried out using--
(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2016 pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations in subsection (c);
(2) funds available for Construction, Major Projects, for a
fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 that remain available for
obligation;
(3) funds available for Construction, Major Projects, for a
fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 that remain available for
obligation;
(4) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects,
for fiscal year 2016 for a category of activity not specific
to a project;
(5) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects,
for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 for a category of
activity not specific to a project; and
(6) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects,
for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 for a category of
activity not specific to a project.
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