IIB
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 811
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 28, 2001
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
AN ACT
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out
construction projects for the purpose of improving, ren-
ovating, and updating patient care facilities at Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Hospital
Emergency Repair Act’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY
PROJECTS FOR PATIENT CARE IMPROVE-
MENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs is authorized to carry out major medical facility
projects in accordance with this section, using funds ap-
propriated for fiscal year 2002 or fiscal year 2003 pursu-
ant to section 3. The cost of any such project may not
exceed $25,000,000, except that up to two projects per
year may be carried out at a cost not to exceed
$30,000,000 for the purpose stated in subsection (c)(1).
(2) Projects carried out under this section are not
subject to section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States
Code.
(b) TYPE
OF PROJECTS.—A project carried out
under subsection (a) may be carried out only at a Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs medical center and only for the
purpose of—
(1) improving a patient care facility;
(2) replacing a patient care facility;
(3) renovating a patient care facility;
(4) updating a patient care facility to contem-
porary standards; or
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(5) improving, replacing, or renovating a re-
search facility or updating such a facility to contem-
porary standards.
(c) PURPOSE OF PROJECTS.—In selecting medical
centers for projects under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall select projects to improve, replace, renovate, or up-
date facilities to achieve one or more of the following:
(1) Seismic protection improvements related to
patient safety (or, in the case of a research facility,
patient or employee safety).
(2) Fire safety improvements.
(3) Improvements to utility systems and ancil-
lary patient care facilities (including such systems
and facilities that may be exclusively associated with
research facilities).
(4) Improved accommodation for persons with
disabilities, including barrier-free access.
(5) Improvements at patient care facilities to
specialized programs of the Department, including
the following:
(A) Blind rehabilitation centers.
(B) Inpatient and residential programs for
seriously mentally ill veterans, including mental
illness research, education, and clinical centers.
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(C) Residential and rehabilitation pro-
grams for veterans with substance-use dis-
orders.
(D) Physical medicine and rehabilitation
activities.
(E) Long-term care, including geriatric re-
search, education, and clinical centers, adult
day care centers, and nursing home care facili-
ties.
(F) Amputation care, including facilities
for prosthetics, orthotics programs, and sensory
aids.
(G) Spinal cord injury centers.
(H) Traumatic brain injury programs.
(I) Women veterans’ health programs (in-
cluding particularly programs involving privacy
and accommodation for female patients).
(J) Facilities for hospice and palliative
care programs.
(d) REVIEW PROCESS.—(1) Before a project is sub-
mitted to the Secretary with a recommendation that it be
approved as a project to be carried out under the authority
of this section, the project shall be reviewed by a board
within the Department of Veterans Affairs that is inde-
pendent of the Veterans Health Administration and that
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is constituted by the Secretary to evaluate capital invest-
ment projects. The board shall review each such project
to determine the project’s relevance to the medical care
mission of the Department and whether the project im-
proves, renovates, repairs, or updates facilities of the De-
partment in accordance with this section.
(2) In selecting projects to be carried out under the
authority provided by this section, the Secretary shall con-
sider the recommendations of the board under paragraph
(1). In any case in which the Secretary selects a project
to be carried out under this section that was not rec-
ommended for such approval by the board under para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall include in the report of the
Secretary under section 4(b) notice of such selection and
the Secretary’s reasons for not following the recommenda-
tion of the board with respect to that project.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Con-
struction, Major Projects, account for projects under sec-
tion 2—
(1) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; and
(2) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.
(b) LIMITATION.—Projects may be carried out under
section 2 only using funds appropriated pursuant to the
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authorization of appropriations in subsection (a), except
that funds appropriated for advance planning may be used
for the purposes for which appropriated in connection with
such projects.
SEC. 4. REPORTS.
(a) GAO REPORT.—Not later than April 1, 2003, the
Comptroller General shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans’ Affairs and on Appropriations of the Senate and
House of Representatives a report evaluating the advan-
tages and disadvantages of congressional authorization for
projects of the type described in section 2(b) through gen-
eral authorization as provided by section 2(a), rather than
through specific authorization as would otherwise be appli-
cable under section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, United States
Code. Such report shall include a description of the actions
of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs during fiscal year
2002 to select and carry out projects under section 2.
(b) SECRETARY REPORT.—Not later than 120 days
after the date on which the site for the final project under
section 2 is selected, the Secretary shall submit to the
committees referred to in subsection (a) a report on the
authorization process under section 2. The Secretary shall
include in the report the following:
(1) A listing by project of each such project se-
lected by the Secretary under that section, together