I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3106 
To authorize Department major medical facility construction projects for 
fiscal year 2015, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 
improvements in the administration of Department medical facility con-
struction projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2015 
Mr. MILLER of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To authorize Department major medical facility construction 
projects for fiscal year 2015, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to make certain improvements in the admin-
istration of Department medical facility construction 
projects, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Construction Reform 
Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONSTRUC-
TION REFORMS. 
(a) PROJECT MANAGEMENT.—Section 8103 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) In the case of any super construction project (as 
such term is defined in section 8104(a)(4)(C)), the Sec-
retary shall enter into an agreement with an appropriate 
non-Department Federal entity to provide full project 
management services for the super construction project, 
including management over the project design, acquisition, 
construction, and contract changes. Such agreement shall 
provide that the Secretary shall reimburse such Federal 
entity for all costs associated with the provision of project 
management services under the agreement.’’. 
(b) APPLICATION OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS.—Sec-
tion 8103 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
subsection (a) is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) To the maximum extent practicable, the Sec-
retary shall use industry standards, standard designs, and 
best practices in carrying out the construction of medical 
facilities.’’. 
(c) LIMITATION
ON PLANNING
AND DESIGN
FOR 
SUPER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8104(a) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (4); 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following new paragraph (3): 
‘‘(3) The Secretary may not obligate or expend funds 
for advance planning or design for any super construction 
project, until the date that is 60 days after the date on 
which the Secretary submits to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives notice of such obligation or expenditure.’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by 
paragraph (1) of this subsection, by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) The term ‘super construction project’ 
means a project for the construction, alteration, or 
acquisition of a medical facility involving a total ex-
penditure of more than $100,000,000, but such term 
does not include an acquisition by exchange.’’. 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect 
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to a construction project that is initiated on or after 
that date. 
(d) 
CONGRESSIONAL
APPROVAL
OF
CERTAIN 
PROJECTS.— 
(1) 
PROJECTS
THAT
EXCEED
SPECIFIED 
AMOUNT.—Subsection (c) of section 8104 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) The Secretary may not obligate funds for a 
major medical facility project or a super construction 
project approved by a law described in subsection (a)(2) 
in an amount that would cause the total amount obligated 
for that project to exceed the amount specified in the law 
for that project (or would add to total obligations exceed-
ing such specified amount) by more than 10 percent unless 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the House of Representatives each approve in writing 
the obligation of those funds.’’. 
(2) USE OF EXTRA AMOUNTS.—Subsection (d) 
of such section is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(B), in the matter 
preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘Whenever’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Before’’; and 
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‘‘(1) the budgetary and scheduling status of the 
project, as of the last day of the quarter covered by 
the report; and 
‘‘(2) the actual cost and schedule variances of 
the project, as of such day, compared to the planned 
cost and schedules for the project. 
‘‘(b) SUPER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘super construction project’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 8103(a)(4)(C) of this 
title.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of the chapter is amended by 
adding at the end of the items relating to such sub-
chapter the following new item: 
‘‘8120. Quarterly report on super construction projects.’’. 
(f) ACCELERATED MASTER PLANNING FOR EACH 
MEDICAL FACILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS.— 
(1) EXISTING FACILITIES.—Not later than De-
cember 31, 2016, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall complete a master plan described in paragraph 
(3) for each medical facility of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. 
(2) NEW FACILITIES.—For each medical facility 
of the Department for which construction is com-
pleted after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
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the Secretary shall complete a master plan described 
in paragraph (3) for the facility by not later than 
the earlier of the following dates: 
(A) The date on which activation is com-
pleted. 
(B) The date of the formal dedication of 
the facility. 
(3) MASTER PLAN DESCRIBED.—A master plan 
described in this paragraph is, with respect to a 
medical facility of the Department, a plan to inform 
investment decisions and funding requests over a 10- 
year period for construction projects at such medical 
facility— 
(A) to meet the health care needs of a 
changing veteran population through a com-
bination of health care from the Department 
and other community resources; and 
(B) to maximize the best use of the land 
and structures comprising such medical facility. 
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL 
YEAR 
2008 
MAJOR 
MEDICAL 
FACILITY 
PROJECT AT DEPARTMENT MEDICAL CENTER 
IN TAMPA, FLORIDA. 
In chapter 3 of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
2008 (Public Law 110–252; 122 Stat. 2326), in the mat-
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ter under the heading ‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs– 
Departmental 
Administration–Construction, 
Major 
Projects’’, after ‘‘Five Year Capital Plan’’ insert the fol-
lowing: ‘‘and for constructing a new bed tower at the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tampa, 
Florida, in lieu of providing bed tower upgrades at such 
medical center’’. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2015 MAJOR MED-
ICAL FACILITY PROJECTS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs may carry out the following major medical facility 
projects in fiscal year 2015, with each project to be carried 
out in an amount not to exceed the amount specified for 
that project: 
(1) Construction of a community living center, 
outpatient clinic, renovated domiciliary, and renova-
tion of existing buildings in Canandaigua, New 
York, in an amount not to exceed $158,980,000. 
(2) Seismic corrections to the mental health 
and community living center in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia, in an amount not to exceed $126,100,000. 
(3) Seismic correction of 12 buildings in West 
Los Angeles, California, in an amount not to exceed 
$70,500,000. 
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(4) Construction of a spinal cord injury build-
ing and seismic corrections in San Diego, California, 
in an amount not to exceed $205,840,000. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for fiscal year 2015 or the year in which funds 
are appropriated for the Construction, Major Projects, ac-
count, a total of $561,420,000 for the projects authorized 
in subsection (a). 
Æ 
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