[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14912-14913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT FOR H.R. 4768, VETERANS MEDICAL FACILITIES 
                         MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 7, 2004

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing H.R. 4768, the Veterans 
Medical Facilities Management Act of 2004. This legislation will help 
address needs in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize 
health care facilities, make better use of VA's existing portfolio of 
properties and dispose of unneeded properties over the next several 
years.
  In legislation I introduced last year that was included in Public Law 
(P.L.) 108-170, the Veterans Health Care, Capital Asset, and Business 
Improvement Act of 2003, a three-year program of delegated 
authorizations was established to allow the Secretary to update, 
improve, establish, restore or replace major VA health care facilities. 
Congress delegated authority to the Secretary to approve individual 
facility projects based on recommendations of an independent capital 
investments board and on criteria that places a premium on projects to 
protect patient safety and privacy; improve seismic protection; provide 
barrier-free accommodations; and improve VA patient care facilities in 
specialized areas of concern.
  Many VA community based clinics operate in leased facilities. P.L. 
108-170 did not provide the Secretary any new authority concerning 
execution of major medical facility leases. The Department has 
identified the need for authorization or renewal of major medical 
facility leases under title 38, United States Code, section 8104(a)(2) 
at a cost of approximately $24 million in fiscal year 2005. This 
legislation would authorize leases in the Department's recommended 
locations as follows:

        Site                                          Annual lease cost
Wilmington, North Carolina Outpatient Clinic.................$1,320,000
Greenville, North Carolina Outpatient Clinic..................1,220,000
Norfolk, Virginia Outpatient Clinic...........................1,250,000
Summerfield, Florida Marion County Outpatient Clinic..........1,230,000
Knoxville, Tennessee Outpatient Clinic..........................850,000
Toledo, Ohio Outpatient Clinic................................1,200,000
Crown Point, Indiana Outpatient Clinic..........................850,000
Fort Worth, Texas Tarrant County Outpatient Clinic............3,900,000
Plano, Texas Collin County Outpatient Clinic..................3,300,000
San Antonio, Texas Northeast Central Bexar County Outpatient C1,400,000
Corpus Christi, Texas Outpatient Clinic.......................1,200,000
Harlington, Texas Outpatient Clinic.............................650,000
Denver, Colorado Health Administration Center.................1,950,000
Oakland, California Outpatient Clinic.........................1,700,000
San Diego, California North County Outpatient Clinic..........1,300,000
San Diego, California South County Outpatient Clinic..........1,100,000

  This bill would also provide that the Department may enter into a 
long-term lease of up to 75 years for land to construct a new medical 
facility on the Fitzsimons Campus of the University of Colorado, in 
Aurora, Colorado. It is anticipated that this new VA facility will be

[[Page 14913]]

a significant shared facility with the University. The extended lease 
authority will enable all parties to the relationship to obtain a 
higher level of confidence in planning and constructing an important 
health care facility for veterans throughout the intermountain west.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation would facilitate the Secretary's 
authority to transfer unneeded real property currently in VA's 
portfolio and under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Secretary. The 
bill would require fair market value for any such transfers, except 
when transferred to a provider of homeless veterans services receiving 
a grant under section 2011 of title 38, United States Code.
  This bill would also repeal the defunct Nursing Home Revolving Fund, 
in section 8116 of title 38, United States Code. It would establish a 
new fund to be known as the Capital Asset Fund, to help defray VA's 
cost of transferring real property, including demolition, environmental 
restoration, maintenance, repair, historic preservation and 
administrative expenses.
  VA controls the fourth-largest inventory of owned, leased, and 
operated federal real property. It is estimated that more than half of 
VA's facilities are over 50 years old. Many date from the 19th century 
and many more were constructed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. A 
large number of properties are listed on the National Register of 
Historic Places. Given this rich array of heritage assets, H.R. 4768 
would also allow the Secretary to enter into partnerships or agreements 
with public or private entities dedicated to historic preservation and 
to use resources from the Capital Asset Fund to facilitate the 
transfer, leasing or adaptive use of these properties. The bill 
requires a series of reports, beginning with a complete inventory of 
historic properties, followed up with an annual update of the status of 
each property for two subsequent reporting cycles.
  The bill would require in the Department's annual budget submission 
inclusion of information on each proposed and completed transfer. The 
Department also would report to Congress the annual deposits and 
expenditures from the Fund.
  This bill includes a provision to permit the construction of surface 
parking when incidental to an authorized major medical facility 
construction project. Also, the bill would provide the Secretary 
additional flexibility in using funds to develop advanced planning for 
major construction projects previously authorized by law.
  VA major medical facility projects are already exempt under section 
8166(a) of title 38, United States Code, from State and local laws 
relating to building codes, permits, and inspections unless the 
Secretary consents to participate in such state and local regulation. 
The bill would exempt VA from State and local land use (zoning) laws.
  Mr. Speaker, I trust that my colleagues will agree with me that this 
is a bill worthy of their support. I strongly urge my colleagues to 
support this bill and help enact it as a high priority to assist the 
Department of Veterans Affairs with its capital asset needs.

                          ____________________