[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 85 (Monday, May 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2365-H2366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WEST LOS ANGELES VA CAMPUS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 711) to amend the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 to
authorize the use of certain funds received pursuant to leases entered
into under such Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 711
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``West Los Angeles VA Campus
Improvement Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF LAND USE REVENUES UNDER WEST LOS ANGELES
LEASING ACT OF 2016.
(a) In General.--Subsection (d) of section 2 of the West
Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 (Public Law 114- 226; 130
Stat. 927) is amended to read as follows:
``(d) Land Use Revenues at the Campus.--
``(1) In general.--Any land use revenues received by the
Secretary shall be credited to the applicable Department
medical facilities accounts or minor construction accounts
and shall be available, without fiscal year limitation and
without further appropriation, exclusively for any of the
following:
``(A) Supporting construction, maintenance, and services at
the Campus relating to temporary or permanent supportive
housing for homeless or at-risk veterans and their families.
``(B) Renovating and maintaining the land and facilities at
the Campus.
``(C) Carrying out minor construction projects at the
Campus.
``(D) Carrying out community operations at the Campus that
support the development of emergency shelter or supportive
housing for homeless or at-risk veterans and their families.
``(2) Land use revenue defined.--In this subsection, the
term `land use revenue' means--
``(A) any funds received by the Secretary under a lease
described in subsection (b); and
``(B) any funds received as proceeds from any assets seized
or forfeited, and any restitution paid, in connection with
any third-party land use at the Campus.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a)
shall apply with respect to funds received by the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs after the date of the enactment of the
West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-226; 130
Stat. 927).
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION TO ENHANCED USE LEASES AT THE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS WEST LOS ANGELES CAMPUS.
Paragraph (1) of section 2(b) of the West Los Angeles
Leasing Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-226; 130 Stat. 927), is
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence:
``Notwithstanding section 8162(b)(2) of such title, the term
of such an enhanced-use lease at the Campus may not exceed 99
years.''.
SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 711, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill, the West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement
Act, would amend a 2016 law concerning the West Los Angeles VA campus.
H.R. 711, as amended, is sponsored by Congressman Ted Lieu, and is
critical to the Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts, together with
community partners, to address veteran homelessness in the Los Angeles
area.
In addition, this legislation helps VA use already available funding
streams to fund supportive housing for homeless and at-risk veterans
and their families; community operations that support emergency shelter
and supportive housing; and renovations and minor construction
projects.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 711, as amended, the West Los
Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act.
In 2016, Congress gave the West Los Angeles VA campus the authority
to carry out leases with third parties. These leases have the potential
to create revenue for the VA. However, the funds generated by these
leases could only be used for renovation and maintenance. This bill
would change that.
[[Page H2366]]
It would require that any land use revenues received by the VA from a
third party be credited to the medical facility's account. The funding
in these accounts would be used to meet existing needs and new services
for homeless veterans.
Revenues would now be available for the medical center to provide
emergency shelter and supportive housing services for homeless or at-
risk veterans and their families. These funds would be available
without fiscal year limitations and further appropriations.
It makes sense that the medical center receives these funds and can
use them to improve its campus and help homeless veterans.
I thank Congresswoman Brownley for her amendment at the markup which
eliminated the mandatory score for this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 711, as amended. I thank
the gentleman and his staff for the hard work they have done on this
bill to get it right. I appreciate it very much.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I also want to express my gratitude to my
colleague, Ranking Member Bost, and the Republicans on the committee
for working with the majority. I believe that the issues that we worked
out were common sense, and upon further examination, I think taxpayers
and most independent, reasonable observers would say this is what
Congress should be doing on behalf of our veterans. I can't imagine why
there would be any objection to this on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R.
711, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LIEU. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill H.R. 711,
the West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2021. This
legislation is critical to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
efforts, together with community partners, to address veteran
homelessness in the Los Angeles area. In addition, it helps VA use
already available funding streams for certain homeless veteran
programs, thus reducing the need for taxpayer funds.
I represent the West LA VA, a 388-acre campus that serves thousands
of veterans in Southern California and across the state, including
offering temporary housing for homeless veterans, legal aide, training,
and other services. The land was deeded to the federal government in
1888 and for decades thousands of veterans lived there. Unfortunately,
following damage from a major earthquake in 1971, the VA began
transitioning the land away from housing, costing Los Angeles County a
crucial node in the battle to fight veteran homelessness. On top of
that, fraud and general neglect of the campus before my tenure led to
some of the campus falling into a state of disrepair. Finally, the VA
settled in a suit alleging that many enhanced use leases on campus were
not principally benefiting veterans, but instead serving other
purposes.
Mr. Speaker, a year after I took office, Congress passed my West Los
Angeles Leasing Act of 2016, a law intended to clean up the campus and
which directly led to the end of most non-veteran related leases. The
law has also helped spur the redevelopment of the property into a true
home for veterans. The VA is now implementing a plan to build at least
1,200 new subsidized apartments, which is composed of 23 projects that
range from renovating existing structures to developing and building
new units.
This progress is encouraging. But there is a serious problem that was
brought to my attention recently by veteran advocates. A drafting error
in the 2016 legislation prevents the West LA VA from using funds from
enhanced use leases (EULs) for the purposes of housing construction.
The VA can only use such funds for ``renovation and maintenance'' of
the campus which means money is lying stagnant that could be used to
build housing but instead, because of a technical error, cannot go
toward helping the VA fight homelessness. This legislation fixes that
error.
Second, as a result of fraud on campus, the VA was supposed to get
several million dollars in asset forfeiture funds. But instead, such
funds go back to the general fund at the Treasury Department to be
dispersed around the country, for any purpose at all. Veterans at the
West LA VA are doubly harmed--first, by the initial fraud, and second,
by the theft of funds that are supposed to make them whole. My
legislation fixes this problem by making it clear funds from settlement
money and asset forfeiture resulting from any past or future fraud on
campus go to veterans at the facility that was harmed. It's just common
sense.
Finally, my bill increases the life of enhanced use leases on the
campus from 75 to 99 years. Increasing the length of the leases would
reduce the financing costs for new housing, further helping the VA and
its partners tackle homelessness.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues on the House Veterans
Affairs Committee for their support, including Chairman Takano, who has
been a tireless champion for our nation's veterans and specifically
veterans in Los Angeles. I am grateful to Members on both sides of the
aisle who passed this bill out of Committee on May 4th by voice vote,
bringing us one step closer to ensuring the VA has the legal
authorities it needs help our veterans. Let's not let technical errors
stand in the way of housing our nation's heroes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 711, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
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