II 

Calendar No. 199 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 833 

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out certain major 

medical facility projects for which appropriations were made for fiscal 

year 2015, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 23, 2015 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. BOXER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AUGUST 6, 2015 

Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of August 5, 2015, by 

Mr. ISAKSON, with an amendment 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

certain major medical facility projects for which appropriations were made for fiscal year 2015, 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 Medical Facility Earthquake Protection and 

4 Improvement Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FA6 CILITY PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

7 VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR WHICH AMOUNTS 

8 HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATED. 

9 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

10 (1) The Consolidated and Further Continuing 

11 Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113–235) ap12 propriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs— 

13 (A) $35,000,000 to make seismic correc14 tions to Building 205 in the West Los Angeles 

15 Medical Center of the Department in Los Ange16 les, California, which, according to the Depart17 ment, is a building that is designated as having 

18 an exceptionally high risk of sustaining sub19 stantial damage or collapsing during an earth20 quake; 

21 (B) $101,900,000 to replace the commu22 nity living center and mental health facilities of 

23 the Department in Long Beach, California, 

24 which, according to the Department, are des25 ignated as having an exceptionally high risk of 


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1 sustaining substantial damage or collapsing 

2 during an earthquake; 

3 (C) $187,500,000 to replace the existing 

4 spinal cord injury clinic of the Department in 

5 San Diego, California, which, according to the 

6 Department, is designated as having an ex7 tremely high risk of sustaining major damage 

8 during an earthquake; and 

9 (D) $122,400,000 to make renovations to 

10 address substantial safety and compliance 

11 issues at the medical center of the Department 

12 in Canandaigua, New York, and for the con13 struction of a new clinic and community living 

14 center at such medical center. 

15 (2) The Department is unable to obligate or ex16 pend the amounts described in paragraph (1) be17 cause it lacks an explicit authorization by an Act of 

18 Congress pursuant to section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, 

19 United States Code, to carry out the major medical 

20 facility projects described in such paragraph. 

21 (3) Among the major medical facility projects 

22 described in paragraph (1), three are critical seismic 

23 safety projects in California. 

24 (4) Every day that the critical seismic safety 

25 projects described in paragraph (3) are delayed puts 


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1 the lives of veterans and employees of the Depart2 ment at risk. 

3 (5) According to the United States Geological 

4 Survey— 

5 (A) California has a 99-percent chance or 

6 greater of experiencing an earthquake of mag7 nitude 6.7 or greater in the next 30 years; 

8 (B) even earthquakes of less severity than 

9 magnitude 6.7 can cause life threatening dam10 age to seismically unsafe buildings; and 

11 (C) in California, earthquakes of mag12 nitude 6.0 or greater occur on average once 

13 every 1.2 years. 

14 (b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af15 fairs may carry out the major medical facility projects of 

16 the Department of Veterans Affairs specified in the ex17 planatory statement accompanying the Consolidated and 

18 Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public 

19 Law 113–235) at the locations and in the amounts speci20 fied in such explanatory statement, including by obligating 

21 and expending such amounts. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af23 fairs may carry out the following major medical facility 

24 projects at the locations specified and in an amount for each 

25 project not to exceed the amount specified for that project: 


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1 (1) For the construction of a community living 

2 center, outpatient clinic, and renovated domiciliary 

3 facility, and the renovation of existing buildings in 

4 Canandaigua, New York, an amount not to exceed 

5 $158,980,000. 

6 (2) For seismic corrections to the mental health 

7 and community living center in Long Beach, Cali8 fornia, an amount not to exceed $126,100,000. 

9 (3) For seismic corrections to 12 buildings in 

10 West Los Angeles, California, an amount not to ex11 ceed $70,500,000. 

12 (4) For construction of a spinal cord injury 

13 building and seismic corrections in San Diego, Cali14 fornia, an amount not to exceed $205,840,000. 

15 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af17 fairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

18 the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

19 House of Representatives a report on the efforts of the De20 partment of Veterans Affairs, including efforts relating to 

21 building standards and disaster preparedness plans, to pro22 tect facilities of the Department that are located in areas 

23 that are at a high-risk for tsunamis and volcanic activity, 

24 including areas in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and American 

25 Samoa. 


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Calendar No. 199 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 833 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 

year 2015, and for other purposes. for which appropriations were made for fiscal carry out certain major medical facility projects 

AUGUST 6, 2015 

Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of 

August 5, 2015, with an amendment 


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