IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5974 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2018 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use on-site 

regulated medical waste treatment systems at certain 

Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Vet3 erans Affairs Creation of On-Site Treatment Systems Af4 fording Veterans Improvements and Numerous General 

5 Safety Enhancements Act’’ or the ‘‘VA COST SAVINGS 

6 Enhancements Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. USE OF ON-SITE REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 

8 TREATMENT SYSTEMS AT DEPARTMENT OF 

9 VETERANS AFFAIRS FACILITIES. 

10 (a) IDENTIFICATION OF FACILITIES.—The Secretary 

11 of Veterans Affairs shall identify Department of Veterans 

12 Affairs facilities that would benefit from cost savings asso13 ciated with the use of an on-site regulated medical waste 

14 treatment system over a five-year period. 

15 (b) REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE COST ANALYSIS

16 MODEL.—For purposes of carrying out subsection (a), the 

17 Secretary shall develop a uniform regulated medical waste 

18 cost analysis model to be used to determine the cost sav19 ings associated with the use of an on-site regulated med20 ical waste treatment system at Department facilities. Such 

21 model shall be designed to calculate savings based on— 

22 (1) the cost of treating regulated medical waste 

23 at an off-site location under a contract with a non24 Department entity, compared to 

25 (2) the cost of treating regulated medical waste 

26 on-site, based on the equipment specification of 


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1 treatment system manufacturers, with capital costs 

2 amortized over a ten-year period. 

3 (c) INSTALLATION.—At each Department facility 

4 identified under subsection (a), the Secretary shall secure, 

5 install, and operate an on-site regulated medical waste 

6 treatment system. 

7 (d) USE OF BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT.— 

8 Any medical waste treatment system purchased pursuant 

9 to this section shall be purchased under the blanket pur10 chase agreement known as the ‘‘VHA Regulated Medical 

11 Waste On-Site Treatment Equipment Systems Blanket 

12 Purchase Agreement’’ or any successor, contract, agree13 ment, or other arrangement. 

14 (e) REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE DEFINED.—In 

15 this section, the term ‘‘regulated medical waste’’ has the 

16 meaning given such term under section 173.134(a)(5) of 

17 title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, concerning regu18 lated medical waste and infectious substances, or any suc19 cessor regulation, except that, in the case of an applicable 

20 State law that is more expansive, the definition in the 

21 State law shall apply. 

22 SEC. 3. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 

23 No additional funds are authorized to be appro24 priated to carry out the requirements of this Act. Such 


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HR 5974 RFS 

1 requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise 

2 authorized to be appropriated. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 24, 2018. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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