[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9571-9573]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1700
  FISCAL YEAR 2016 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SEISMIC SAFETY AND 
                     CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4590) to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to carry out certain major medical facility projects for which 
appropriations are being made for fiscal year 2016, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4590

       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 ``Fiscal Year 2016 Department 
     of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Construction 
     Authorization Act''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
                   PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Authorization.--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 
     $175,880,000.
       (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 
     $100,250,000.
       (3) Seismic corrections to the mental health and community 
     living center in Long Beach, California, in an amount not to 
     exceed $282,100,000.
       (4) Construction of an outpatient clinic, administrative 
     space, cemetery, and columbarium in Alameda, California, in 
     an amount not to exceed $83,782,000.
       (5) Realignment of medical facilities in Livermore, 
     California, in an amount not to exceed $188,650,000.

[[Page 9572]]

       (6) Construction of a replacement community living center 
     in Perry Point, Maryland, in an amount not to exceed 
     $92,700,000.
       (7) 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 
     $13,830,000.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations for Construction.--
     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, $937,192,000 for the projects authorized in 
     subsection (a).
       (c) Limitation.--The projects authorized in subsection (a) 
     may only be carried out using--
       (1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2016 pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations in subsection (b);
       (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.

     SEC. 3. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, for each project authorized in section 2(a), the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees 
     on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
     Senate the following information:
       (1) A line item accounting of expenditures relating to 
     construction management carried out by the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for such project.
       (2) The future amounts that are budgeted to be obligated 
     for construction management carried out by the Department for 
     such project.
       (3) A justification for the expenditures described in 
     paragraph (1) and the future amounts described in paragraph 
     (2).
       (4) Any agreement entered into by the Secretary regarding 
     the Army Corps of Engineers providing services relating to 
     such project, including reimbursement agreements and the 
     costs to the Department of Veterans Affairs for such 
     services.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and add any extraneous material on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4590, as amended, the 
Fiscal Year 2016 Department of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and 
Construction Authorization Act.
  This bill, which I have sponsored, would authorize seven major 
medical facility projects in San Francisco, California; West Los 
Angeles, California; Long Beach, California; Alameda, California; 
Livermore, California; Perry Point, Maryland; and American Lake, 
Washington.
  These projects will correct seismic safety issues in high-risk VA 
medical facilities, provide housing and support services for homeless 
veterans, increase the availability of outpatient care, and replace 
outdated buildings with modern ones that are better suited to providing 
the high-quality care that our veterans deserve. Each of these projects 
was requested in the President's budget submission for fiscal year 
2016, and funds have already been appropriated for them.
  Many in this Chamber are well aware of the debacle that characterized 
VA's management of the Denver replacement hospital facility 
construction project. Cost overruns and extensive delays had become the 
status quo for mostly all VA major construction projects. In the case 
of Denver, the price tag more than doubled from the initial estimate. 
As a result of that, for all projects costing over $100 million going 
forward, we now call them ``super construction'' projects. A non-VA 
entity will assume project management responsibilities.
  Of the seven projects to be authorized in this bill, six of them meet 
the super construction criteria. The Army Corps of Engineers will be 
managing those six projects. In light of that, I have reduced the total 
authorization for these projects slightly, since VA should no longer 
require funds that have been built into the projects for VA 
construction management.
  With little transparency into what is actually required for VA to 
manage these projects supposedly in support of the Army Corps of 
Engineers, I hesitate to authorize any additional management funding 
without a full accounting of what is essential to completely execute 
these projects. This bill would require that VA would provide a full 
accounting of management expenditures for these projects, going 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, before we conclude debate on the VA construction bill, I 
feel obliged to discuss the absence of one particular project--the new 
replacement medical facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
  First, the proposed construction project in Louisville has been 
criticized by local stakeholders who have expressed concerns regarding 
the parcel of land that VA has proposed constructing this new facility 
on. Those concerns were validated by the committee following an on-site 
investigation last year, and, as a result, VA has initiated an 
environmental impact study that is ongoing today. The EIS will take a 
year or more to complete and could very well result in a determination 
that VA pursue a different approach to ensuring that Louisville area 
veterans are provided the high-quality care they earned and deserve.
  Given that, I believe it would be untimely and inappropriate for 
Congress to authorize this project before the EIS is complete. That 
conclusion is shared by VA construction officials, who stated 
themselves, in a briefing with committee staff earlier this year, that 
it would be premature to authorize the Louisville project at this time 
since the EIS is in progress and the way ahead for the project is 
uncertain.
  Finally, VA has a disastrous history of building VA hospitals on time 
and on budget. The Denver construction project is $1 billion--$1 
billion--over budget.
  After opening the new Orlando hospital years late and hundreds of 
millions over budget, VA quietly settled with the Orlando hospital 
contractor for an additional $213 million over the budget. And the New 
Orleans hospital is $100 million over budget right now. In light of 
this track record, the strictest of scrutiny needs to be applied to 
major hospital projects going forward, and that must begin with 
Louisville.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time, and I ask unanimous consent that 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) control the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4590, the Fiscal Year 2016 Department 
of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Construction Authorization Act.
  The major duty of this committee is to make sure that our veterans 
have access to the best care they can receive, and authorizing 
construction or ensuring that existing facilities are structurally 
sound is very important.
  All the facilities included in this bill--San Francisco, Los Angeles, 
Long Beach, Alameda, Livermore in California; Perry Point, Maryland; 
and American Lake, Washington--are all in need of major renovations to 
make them safe.
  I am glad we are passing this bill today, and I look forward to 
breaking ground on these projects sooner rather than later. I urge all 
Members to support this important legislation.

[[Page 9573]]

  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. McNerney).
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 4590, a 
bill to authorize funding for numerous Department of Veterans Affairs 
construction projects throughout the Nation.
  Funding for many of these projects was already appropriated in fiscal 
year 2016 but needs authorization, and this is what the bill does.
  I want to thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Brown for their 
work and commitment to our Nation's veterans and for bringing this bill 
to the floor.
  The VA is currently challenged by a growing backlog in construction 
projects and old infrastructure. The VA manages over 6,000 buildings 
and nearly 34,000 acres of land. Additionally, more than 4,000 critical 
infrastructure gaps remain, which are estimated to cost between $56 
billion and $68 billion to close. A growing backlog in construction 
projects and infrastructure is leading veterans to have to wait too 
long to receive the care they need and deserve.
  This list of construction projects is also one of the reasons I have 
introduced H.R. 4129, the Jumpstart VA Construction Act. This bill 
provides for public-private partnerships at the VA to expedite 
construction opportunities at the VA. H.R. 4129 will help maximize 
partnerships between Federal and non-Federal entities and ensure that 
we avoid the systemic problems that have plagued the VA in the past, 
projects like Denver and Orlando.
  Meanwhile, H.R. 4590 also includes funding for the Livermore 
realignment project, as was mentioned by the chairman and ranking 
member. This is a project that is very important to the veterans of the 
Central Valley of California, including my district.
  This funding would provide for the construction of a 158,000-square-
foot community-based outpatient clinic in French Camp, California. 
While vets have been waiting for years, I fought for this project for 
at least 8 years. The French Camp community-based outpatient clinic 
will serve 87,000 veterans across a wide geographic area that includes 
San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Alameda Counties, 
among others. California's Central Valley veterans confront many 
obstacles accessing the care they need from the VA.
  I want to tell you a little story. In Stockton, California, it is 
about a 3-hour commute to the nearest VA center, which is in Palo Alto. 
The commute takes long because it is a distance and because there is 
tremendous traffic. I took the ride along with one of our veterans a 
couple of years ago, and it took all day to go in for a half-hour 
appointment.
  Now, not every elderly gentleman can sit in a car for 3 hours one way 
and then 3 hours back. This is a real hardship. Not only can they not 
sit in a car for that long, but they may not even have that kind of 
transportation. So this is very important. I am sure that all of these 
projects have that kind of a story.
  We need more facilities. We need this authorization. Congress 
approved the Central Valley community-based outpatient clinic and 
community center in 2004 as part of the VA's Capital Asset Realignment 
for Enhanced Services initiatives. In 2010, Congress appropriated $55 
million for land acquisition and to fund construction and planning. The 
project is ready to begin construction, and our Central Valley veterans 
are eager to see progress on a project that was promised to them in 
2004.
  The French Camp outpatient clinic would offer an array of services: 
primary care, mental health care, radiology, audiology, physical and 
occupational therapy, dental, and other specialty services throughout 
the telehealth system.
  Veterans have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom and 
democracy. They deserve access to state-of-the-art healthcare 
facilities closer to home. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting H.R. 4590.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 4590.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Miller, Ms. 
Brown, and Mr. McNerney for their work on this bill.
  I encourage all Members to support this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4590, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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