IB
Union Calendar No. 19
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 811
[Report No. 107–28]
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out construction
projects for the purpose of improving, renovating, and updating patient
care facilities at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 1, 2001
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MORAN of Kansas,
Mr. FILNER, Mr. STUMP, Mr. REYES, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. STEARNS, Mr.
BAKER, Mr. SIMMONS, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, and Mr. BUYER)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs
MARCH 26, 2001
Additional sponsors: Mr. SPENCE, Mrs. ROUKEMA, Mr. FOLEY, Ms. CARSON
of Indiana, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. SOLIS, Mr.
SHOWS, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. OWENS, Mr. HONDA, Mr.
UDALL of New Mexico, and Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York
MARCH 26, 2001
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 1, 2001]
A BILL
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,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Hospital Emer-
gency 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 appro-
priated for fiscal year 2002 or fiscal year 2003 pursuant
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 sub-
ject 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 Department
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
(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 cen-
ters for projects under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
select projects to improve, replace, renovate, or update fa-
cilities 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.
(C) Residential and rehabilitation programs
for veterans with substance-use disorders.
(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 facilities.
(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 with-
in the Department of Veterans Affairs that is independent
(b) LIMITATION.—Projects may be carried out under
section 2 only using funds appropriated pursuant to the
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 Vet-
erans’ 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 general
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 com-
mittees referred to in subsection (a) a report on the author-
ization 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
with a prospectus description of the purposes of the
project, the estimated cost of the project, and a state-
ment attesting to the review of the project under sec-
tion 2(c), and, if that project was not recommended
by the board, the Secretary’s justification under sec-
tion 2(d) for not following the recommendation of the
board.
(2) An assessment of the utility to the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs of that authorization process.
(3) Such recommendations as the Secretary con-
siders appropriate for future congressional policy for
authorizations of major and minor medical facility
construction projects for the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(4) Any other matter that the Secretary con-
siders to be appropriate with respect to oversight by
Congress of capital facilities projects of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs.
Union Calendar No. 19
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 811
[Report No. 107–28]
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
carry out construction projects for the purpose of
improving, renovating, and updating patient care
facilities at Department of Veterans Affairs med-
ical centers.
MARCH 26, 2001
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
and ordered to be printed