[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3820-S3821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6615. Ms. DUCKWORTH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
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 D of title VII, add the following:
SEC. 771. CODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY FOR JOINT DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL
FACILITY DEMONSTRATION FUND.
(a) In General.--Chapter 55 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``Sec. 1110c. Joint Medical Facility Demonstration Fund
``(a) Establishment.--There is established on the books of
the Treasury under the Department of Veterans Affairs a fund
to be known as the `Joint Department of Defense-Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund' (in
this section referred to as the `Fund' ).
``(b) Use of Amounts.--Amounts in the Fund shall be used to
facilitate the joint funding of designated combined Federal
medical facilities of the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
``(c) Transfers to Fund.--
``(1) In general.--Amounts may be transferred to the Fund
by the Secretary of Defense only from amounts first
authorized and appropriated specifically for that purpose on
and after the date of the enactment of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 for the Department of
Defense and by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs only from
amounts first authorized and appropriated specifically for
that purpose on and after such date for the Department of
Veterans Affairs, and as determined by a methodology jointly
established by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs that reflects the mission-specific
activities, workload, and costs of provision of health care
at the facilities of the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs, respectively.
``(2) Transfers of amounts from medical care collections.--
Amounts may be transferred to the Fund from medical care
collections under the following authorities for health care
provided at designated combined Federal medical facilities of
the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs:
``(A) Section 1095 of this title.
``(B) Section 1729 of title 38.
``(C) The Act entitled `An Act to provide for the recovery
from tortiously liable third persons of the cost of hospital
and medical care and treatment furnished by the United
States' (Public Law 87-693; 42 U.S.C. 2651 et seq.; commonly
known as the `Federal Medical Care Recovery Act').''.
``(d) Availability of Amounts in Fund.--
``(1) In general.--Amounts transferred to the Fund under
subsection (c) shall be available to fund the operations of
designated combined Federal medical facilities of the
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs,
including capital equipment, real property maintenance, and
minor construction projects that are not required to be
specifically authorized by law under section 2805 of this
title or section 8104 of title 38.
``(2) Captain james a. lovell federal health care center.--
Amounts transferred to the Fund by the Secretary of Defense
under subsection (c) may be used for facility operations of
the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center,
consisting of the North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, the Navy Ambulatory Care Center, and supporting
facilities designated as a combined Federal medical facility
under an operational agreement covered by section 706 of the
Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417; 122 Stat. 4500).
``(3) Limitation.--The availability of amounts transferred
to the Fund under subsection (c)(2) shall be subject to the
provisions of section 1729A of title 38.
``(4) Period of availability.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
amounts transferred to the Fund under subsection (c) shall
remain available under this subsection until the end of the
first fiscal year beginning after the date of the transfer.
``(B) Exception.--Of the amount transferred to the Fund
under subsection (c) in a fiscal year, an amount not to
exceed two percent of such amount shall remain available
[[Page S3821]]
under this subsection until the end of the second fiscal year
beginning after the date of the transfer.
``(e) Executive Agreement.--
``(1) Fund administration.--
``(A) In general.--The Fund shall be administered in
accordance with an executive agreement between the Secretary
of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(B) Guidelines.--The executive agreement under
subparagraph (A) shall be consistent with section 706 of the
Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417; 122 Stat. 4500) and shall
provide for an independent review of the methodology
established under subsection (c)(1).
``(2) Financial reconciliation.--
``(A) In general.--The executive agreement between the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
under paragraph (1)(A) shall provide for the development and
implementation of an integrated financial reconciliation
process that meets the fiscal reconciliation requirements of
the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
``(B) Identification of contributions.--The process under
subparagraph (A) shall permit the Department of Defense and
the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify their fiscal
contributions to the Fund, taking into consideration
accounting, workload, and financial management
differences.''.
(b) Conforming Repeal.--Section 1704 of the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law
111-84; 123 Stat. 2571), as most recently amended by section
1421 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025
(Public Law 118-159; 138 Stat. 2129), is repealed.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a report indicating medical facilities of the
Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs
that either Secretary, or both, considers appropriate to be
designated as combined Federal medical facilities of the
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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