99–006

107TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 107–474

ROBERT J. DOLE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

MEDICAL AND REGIONAL OFFICE CENTER

MAY 16, 2002.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of

the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,

submitted the following

R E P O R T

[To accompany H.R. 4608]

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to whom was referred the

bill (H.R. 4608) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Wichita, Kansas, as the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department

of Veterans Affairs Medical Center’’, having considered the same,

reports favorably thereon with amendments and recommends that

the bill as amended do pass.

The amendments are as follows:

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL AND REGIONAL OFFICE

CENTER, WICHITA, KANSAS.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center in Wichita, Kansas, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional

Office Center’’. Any reference to such medical center in any law, regulation, map,

document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a

reference to the Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center.

Amend the title so as to read:

A bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office

Center in Wichita, Kansas, as the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs

Medical and Regional Office Center’’.

INTRODUCTION

On April 25, 2002, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health,

the Honorable Jerry Moran, introduced H.R. 4608.

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On May 1, 2002, the Subcommittee on Health met and by unanimous voice vote ordered H.R. 4608 reported favorably to the full

Committee.

On May 9, 2002, the full Committee met and by unanimous voice

vote ordered H.R. 4608, as amended, reported favorably to the

House.

SUMMARY OF THE REPORTED BILL

H.R. 4608, as amended, would:

Name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional

Office Center in Wichita, Kansas, the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department

of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center’’.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

The Committee bill would honor former United States Senator

Robert J. Dole for his exemplary service to his country as a United

States Army soldier in World War II.

During World War II, Robert J. Dole, a 19-year-old from Russell,

Kansas, joined the Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps and gained assignment as a second lieutenant in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. His unit was sent to Italy where he was a platoon leader. On

April 14, 1945, his platoon was attacked by German forces. While

aiding a wounded soldier, he was seriously injured by mortar fire.

The round shattered his right shoulder, leaving him paralyzed and

near death. He recovered over a period of three years in Army and

VA hospitals, surviving nine surgeries and undergoing rehabilitation. Robert Dole was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his heroism and selfless effort to aid a fellow soldier, and two Purple

Hearts for the injuries he sustained. He was awarded the European-African Middle Eastern Campaign medal with two Bronze

Stars for participation in the Po Valley and Northern Apennines

Campaigns. He is also a recipient of the American Campaign

Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

In civilian life, Senator Dole was awarded the Harry Truman

Good Neighbor Award, the Defense Distinguished Public Service

Medal, the American Legion Distinguished Service Award and Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Award for Life Service to Veterans.

In 1997, President Clinton awarded Senator Dole the Presidential

Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. At that

ceremony, the President described Senator Dole as ‘‘. . . one of our

nation’s most distinguished World War II veterans . . . [a] son of

the soil, citizen, soldier and legislator, Bob Dole understands the

American people, their struggles, their triumphs and their

dreams.’’

During his many years of service in Washington as an elected

public official, Senator Dole gave a public speech on each yearly anniversary of his own injury in the Italian campaign to highlight the

status of America’s veterans and the disabled. His advocacy for the

disabled has been lifelong and as a U.S. Senator, he was a leader

in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the

most significant pieces of legislation dealing with the needs of the

disabled since the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

This bill also serves to memorialize Senator Dole’s outstanding

advocacy for the veterans of Kansas and all veterans of the United

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States armed forces. Along with President Dwight Eisenhower,

Robert Dole is one of the greatest figures in Kansas history. Eisenhower’s name graces the VA Medical Center at Leavenworth, and

it would be appropriate that the Wichita VA facility bear Senator

Dole’s name.

The Kansas Congressional delegation is unanimous in its support

for the Committee bill, as are the major veterans organizations of

the State of Kansas. Thus, this bill meets existing Committee criteria regarding the naming of VA facilities.

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 would, after the date of enactment, name the Veterans

Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center in Wichita, Kansas, the

‘‘Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center’’.

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Government Performance and Results Act is not applicable

to the reported bill.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

The following letter was received from the Congressional Budget

Office concerning the cost of the reported bill:

U.S. CONGRESS,

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE,

Washington, DC, May 10, 2002.

Hon. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: At your request, the Congressional Budget

Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4608, a bill

to name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in

Wichita, Kansas, as the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans

Affairs Medical Center.’’

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sam Papenfuss, who can

be reached at 226–2840.

Sincerely,

DAN L. CRIPPEN,

Director.

Enclosure.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

May 10, 2002 

H.R. 4608, A BILL TO NAME THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

MEDICAL CENTER IN WICHITA, KANSAS, AS THE ‘‘ROBERT J. DOLE

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER’’

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on

May 9, 2002

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H.R. 4608 would name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Wichita, Kansas, as the ‘‘Robert J. Dole Department

of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.’’ It also would require that any

reference to such medical center in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States be considered a

reference to the clinic by the new name. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a negligible cost, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because the bill would not affect direct spending or receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would not

apply.

H.R. 4608 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

The CBO staff contact is Sam Papenfuss. This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget

Analysis.

STATEMENT OF FEDERAL MANDATES

The preceding Congressional Budget Office cost estimate states

that the reported bill contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The reported bill would not be applicable to the legislative

branch under the Congressional Accountability Act, Public Law

104–1.

STATEMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY

Pursuant to Article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution,

the reported bill is authorized by Congress’ power to ‘‘provide for

the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States.’’

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