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’ Major Med-
ical Facilities Construction Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY
PROJECTS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the
following major medical facility projects, with each project
to be carried out in an amount not to exceed the amount
specified for that project:
(1) Seismic corrections at the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, Cali-
fornia, as follows:
(A) Building Number 2, $14,020,000.
(B) Building Number 4, $21,750,000.
(2) Seismic correction at the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco,
California, $31,000,000.
(3) Seismic correction at the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Los Angeles,
California, $27,200,000.
(4) Seismic correction and clinical improvement
at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Cen-
ter, Long Beach, California, $24,600,000.
(5) Seismic correction for Building Number 1
at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Cen-
ter, San Diego, California, $47,100,000.
(6) Ambulatory Surgery and Clinical Consolida-
tion at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, Cleveland, Ohio, $32,500,000.
(7) Consolidation of Department of Veterans
Affairs and Department of Defense health and bene-
fits offices, Anchorage Alaska, $59,000,000.
(8) Ward Renovation at the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, Con-
necticut, $15,300,000.
(9) Ambulatory Care Expansion at the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tampa,
Florida, $18,230,000.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF A MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY
LEASE.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into a
lease for a Satellite Outpatient Clinic, Charlotte, North
Carolina, in an amount not to exceed $2,626,000.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year
2003—
(1) for the Construction, Major Projects, ac-
count $285,000,000 for the projects authorized in
section 2; and
(2) for the Medical Care account, $2,626,000
for the lease authorized in section 3.
(b) LIMITATION.—The projects authorized in section
2 may only be carried out using—
(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2003 pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations in sub-
section (a);
(2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major
Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2003
that remain available for obligation; and
(3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major
Projects, for fiscal year 2003 for a category of activ-
ity not specific to a project.
SEC. 5. INCREASE IN THRESHOLD FOR MAJOR MEDICAL
FACILITY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
(a) 
INCREASE
IN
THRESHOLD.—Section
8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by striking ‘‘$4,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$6,000,000’’.
(b) APPLICABILITY TO PROJECTS ALREADY FUND-
ED.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply
with respect to any facility project of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, except for a project for which the Sec-
retary obligated funds before October 1, 2002.
SEC. 6. CRITERIA FOR MINOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
Section 8103 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(e) 
PURPOSE
OF
MINOR
CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS.—In selecting medical facilities (including re-
search facilities) for projects under subsection (a) other
than major medical facility projects subject to section
8104 of this title, the Secretary shall, to the extent prac-
ticable, 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.
‘‘(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
research, 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.’’.
Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2002.
Attest:
Clerk.