I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2866 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to enter into grants or other agreements to assist State and 

local governments with community infrastructure projects that support 

medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2019 

Mr. CUNNINGHAM (for himself and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into grants or 

other agreements to assist State and local governments 

with community infrastructure projects that support 

medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Community Infra5 structure Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. VETERAN COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE PILOT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 81 of title 38, 

4 United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 

5 8117 the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 8117A. Veteran community infrastructure pilot 

7 program 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

9 may make grants, conclude cooperative agreements, and 

10 supplement funds available under Federal programs ad11 ministered by agencies other than the Department of Vet12 erans Affairs to assist State and local governments to ad13 dress deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive 

14 of medical facilities if the Secretary determines that such 

15 assistance will enhance the resilience of the medical facil16 ity or the quality of life of veterans eligible to receive care 

17 at such medical facility. 

18 ‘‘(b) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish cri19 teria for the selection of community infrastructure proj20 ects to receive assistance under subsection (a). The cri21 teria shall include a preference toward medical facilities 

22 in areas with large veteran populations or areas experi23 encing high rates of growth in the veteran population. 

24 ‘‘(c) FUNDS.—Amounts appropriated or otherwise 

25 made available for assistance under subsection (a) may re26 main available until expended. 


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1 ‘‘(d) TERMINATION.—The authority under this sec2 tion shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the 

3 date of the enactment of this section. 

4 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 ‘‘(1) The term ‘community infrastructure’ 

6 means any— 

7 ‘‘(A) transportation project; 

8 ‘‘(B) flood or natural disaster mitigation 

9 project; 

10 ‘‘(C) hospital, police, fire, emergency re11 sponse, or other community support facility; or 

12 ‘‘(D) water, waste-water, telecommunica13 tions, electric, gas, or other utility infrastruc14 ture project that is owned by a State or local 

15 government. 

16 ‘‘(2) The term ‘medical facility’ has the mean17 ing given in section 8101 of this title.’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

19 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

20 after the item relating to section 8117 the following new 

21 item: 

‘‘8117A. Veteran community infrastructure pilot program.’’. 

Æ 


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