I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4949 

To establish within the Office of the Secretary of Defense an office responsible 

for implementing all recommendations and requirements regarding military medical facilities in the National Capital Region, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2010 

Mrs. DAVIS of California (for herself, Mr. ORTIZ, and Mr. WILSON of South 

Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To establish within the Office of the Secretary of Defense 

an office responsible for implementing all recommendations and requirements regarding military medical facilities in the National Capital Region, and for other purposes. 

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; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘World Class Military Medical Facilities Act’’. 

6 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find7 ings: 


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1 (1) The Department of Defense lacks a com2 plete plan for the entirety of facilities at the new 

3 Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 

4 Bethesda, Maryland. 

5 (2) The Department of Defense has not estab6 lished an integrated operating structure, has not 

7 provided clear and appropriate budget authorities, 

8 and has not designed either joint military or civilian 

9 personnel structures to staff the new Walter Reed 

10 National Military Medical Center. 

11 (3) There are differing standards and levels of 

12 construction and funding that could result in a facil13 ity that is not in totality a world class military med14 ical facility. 

15 (4) The Department of Defense lacks a unified 

16 construction standard for military construction and 

17 repairs to military medical facilities. 

18 (5) In the report referred to in section 8(2), the 

19 National Capital Region Base Realignment and Clo20 sure Health Systems Advisory Subcommittee of the 

21 Defense Health Board identified numerous defi22 ciencies in the current plan for the new Walter Reed 

23 National Military Medical Center. 


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1 SEC. 2. DISESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT TASK FORCE NA2 TIONAL CAPITAL REGION MEDICAL. 

3 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall disestablish the 

5 organization known as Joint Task Force National Capital 

6 Region Medical. Upon such disestablishment, all per7 sonnel, property, and functions of the Joint Task Force 

8 National Capital Region Medical shall be transferred back 

9 to the military department from which the personnel, 

10 property, or functions were transferred or to the Office 

11 of the Secretary of Defense. 

12 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE RESPONSIBLE FOR IM13 PLEMENTING NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION 

14 MILITARY MEDICAL FACILITIES REC15 OMMENDATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than June 1, 2010, 

17 the Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Office 

18 of the Secretary of Defense an office responsible for imple19 menting all recommendations and requirements regarding 

20 military medical facilities in the National Capital Region 

21 contained in— 

22 (1) the report of the Defense Base Closure and 

23 Realignment Commission transmitted to Congress 

24 on September 15, 2005, under section 2903(e) of 

25 the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 


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1 1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101–510; 

2 10 U.S.C. 2687 note); 

3 (2) section 2714 of the National Defense Au4 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 

5 111–84; 123 Stat. 2656); or 

6 (3) any other provision of law. 

7 (b) ORGANIZATION.— 

8 (1) DIRECTOR.—The director of the office shall 

9 be the Deputy Secretary of Defense. The responsibil10 ities of the director may not be delegated to another 

11 individual, office, command, field agency, or field ac12 tivity. 

13 (2) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—The deputy director 

14 of the office shall be the Assistant Secretary of De15 fense for Health Affairs. The responsibilities of the 

16 deputy director may not be delegated to another in17 dividual, office, command, field agency, or field ac18 tivity. 

19 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES.— 

20 (1) MISSIONS.—The office shall define the med21 ical missions and responsibilities of the Office of the 

22 Secretary of Defense and the military departments 

23 in the National Capital Region. 

24 (2) BUDGET AND OPERATIONAL AUTHORITY.— 

25 The office shall retain overall budget and operational 


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1 authority to provide and operate world class military 

2 medical facilities in the National Capital Region. 

3 This authority includes the development of budgets, 

4 prioritization of requirements, and the allocation of 

5 funds to provide and operate world class military 

6 medical facilities. 

7 (3) PERSONNEL.—The office, in consultation 

8 with the Secretaries of the military departments, 

9 shall specify personnel authorizations and personnel 

10 systems required to provide and operate world class 

11 military medical facilities in the National Capital 

12 Region. 

13 SEC. 4. COMPLETION OF NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION 

14 HEALTH CARE DELIVERY MASTER PLAN. 

15 Upon the establishment of the office under section 

16 3, the office shall assume responsibility for the develop17 ment and implementation of the comprehensive master 

18 plan to provide sufficient world class military medical fa19 cilities and an integrated system of health care delivery 

20 for the National Capital Region required by section 2714 

21 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

22 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 123 Stat. 2656). 


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1 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFIED CONSTRUCTION 

2 STANDARD FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION 

3 AND REPAIRS TO MILITARY MEDICAL FACILI4 TIES. 

5 Not later than June 1, 2010, the Secretary of De6 fense shall establish a unified construction standard for 

7 military construction and repairs for military medical fa8 cilities that provides a single standard of care. This stand9 ard shall also include a size standard for operating rooms 

10 and patient recovery rooms. 

11 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 

12 IMPLEMENTION OF UNIFIED CONSTRUCTION 

13 STANDARD AT WALTER REED NATIONAL 

14 MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER. 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec16 retary of Defense $400,000,000 to implement at Walter 

17 Reed National Military Medical Center the unified con18 struction standard for military construction and repairs 

19 for military medical facilities established under section 5. 

20 SEC. 7. INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF REVIEW PANEL.—The Sec22 retary of Defense shall establish an advisory committee 

23 to be known as the ‘‘Independent Review Panel for Mili24 tary Medical Care in the National Capital Region’’ to ad25 vise the Secretary regarding whether the proposed design 

26 and organizational structure for military medical facilities 


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1 in the National Capital Region will achieve a world class 

2 military medical facility. 

3 (b) MEMBERS.— 

4 (1) CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS.—The advisory 

5 committee is constituted annually of the following: 

6 (A) The chairman of the Committee on 

7 Armed Services of the Senate or the chairman’s 

8 designee. 

9 (B) Three other members of the Senate 

10 designated by the Vice President or the Presi11 dent pro tempore of the Senate, two of whom 

12 are members of the Committee on Appropria13 tions of the Senate. 

14 (C) The chairman of the Committee on 

15 Armed Services of the House of Representatives 

16 or the chairman’s designee. 

17 (D) Four other members of the House of 

18 Representatives designated by the Speaker of 

19 the House of Representatives, two of whom are 

20 members of the Committee on Appropriations 

21 of the House of Representatives. 

22 (2) OTHER MEMBERS.—The advisory committee 

23 shall also include six persons designated by the 

24 President who are not employees or appointed polit25 ical officials of the executive branch. These members 


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1 shall be medical facility experts, military health-care 

2 professionals, representatives of premier health care 

3 organizations in the United States, retired senior 

4 military officers or non-commissioned officers, or pa5 tient representatives. Not more than two members 

6 designated under this paragraph may be retired 

7 members of the Armed Forces. The term of office of 

8 these members shall be three years, except that the 

9 President may stagger the initial terms. 

10 (3) SUCCESSORS.—Any member of the advisory 

11 committee whose term of office expires may continue 

12 to serve until a successor is appointed. If a member 

13 dies or resigns, a successor shall be appointed for 

14 the unexpired portion of the term. 

15 (c) MEETINGS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The advisory committee 

17 shall meet not less than monthly. The committee or 

18 its members may make other visits to military treat19 ment facilities and military headquarters in connec20 tion with the duties of the committee. The com21 mittee may call in advisers for consultation. 

22 (2) COMPENSATION.—While performing duties 

23 on behalf of the advisory committee, a member of 

24 the committee and any adviser referred to in paraVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:39 Mar 30, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4949.IH H4949

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1 graph (1) shall be reimbursed under Government 

2 travel regulations for necessary travel expenses. 

3 (d) DUTIES.—The advisory committee shall review— 

4 (1) the plans for the design and organizational 

5 structure for military medical facilities in the Na6 tional Capital Region to ensure that the facilities 

7 and organizational structure will result in a world 

8 class military medical facility; and 

9 (2) the execution of the plans and such other 

10 matters relating to military medical care in the Na11 tional Capital Region as the committee considers ap12 propriate. 

13 (e) REPORTS.— 

14 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 

15 after the first meeting of the advisory committee, 

16 the committee shall submit to the Secretary of De17 fense a written report containing an assessment of 

18 military medical care in the National Capital Region 

19 and the views and recommendations of the com20 mittee to improve such care. 

21 (2) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.—Not later than De22 cember 31, 2010, and December 31, 2011, the advi23 sory committee shall submit to the Secretary of De24 fense a report on the findings and recommendations 


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1 of the committee to address any deficiencies identi2 fied by the committee. 

3 (f) ASSESSMENT OF RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later 

4 than 30 days after the date of the submission of each re5 port under subsection (e), the Secretary of Defense shall 

6 submit to the congressional defense committees a report 

7 including— 

8 (1) an assessment by the Secretary of the find9 ings and recommendations of the panel; and 

10 (2) the plans of the Secretary for addressing 

11 such findings and recommendations. 

12 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION.—The term 

15 ‘‘National Capital Region’’ has the meaning given 

16 the term in section 2674(f) of title 10, United States 

17 Code. 

18 (2) WORLD CLASS MILITARY MEDICAL FACIL19 ITY.—The term ‘‘world class military medical facil20 ity’’ has the meaning given the term by the National 

21 Capital Region Base Realignment and Closure 

22 Health Systems Advisory Subcommittee of the De23 fense Health Board in appendix B of the report ti24 tled ‘‘Achieving World Class—An Independent Re25 view of the Design Plans for the Walter Reed NaVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:39 Mar 30, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4949.IH H4949

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1 tional Military Medical Center and the Fort Belvoir 

2 Community Hospital’’ and published in May 2009, 

3 as required by section 2721 of the Military Con4 struction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 

5 (division B of Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 

6 4716). 

Æ 


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