Congress of capital facilities projects of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
PROJECTS AND LEASES. 
(a) PROJECT AUTHORIZATIONS.—The Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs may carry out the following major medical 
facility projects, with each project to be carried out in the 
amount specified for that project: 
(1) Construction of a new bed tower to consoli-
date two inpatient sites of care in inner city Chicago 
at the West Side Division of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs health care system in Chicago, Illinois, 
in an amount not to exceed $98,500,000. 
(2) Seismic corrections to strengthen Medical 
Center Building 1 of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs health care system in San Diego, California, in 
an amount not to exceed $48,600,000. 
(3) A project for (A) renovation of all inpatient 
care wards at the West Haven, Connecticut, facility 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs health system 
in Connecticut to improve the environment of care 
and enhance safety, privacy, and accessibility, and 
(B) establishment of a consolidated medical research 
facility at that facility, in an amount not to exceed 
$50,000,000.
(4) Construction of a medical facility on avail-
able Federal land at the Defense Supply Center, Co-
lumbus, 
Ohio, 
in 
an 
amount 
not 
to 
exceed 
$90,000,000. 
(5) Construction of a Department of Veterans Af-
fairs-Department of Navy joint venture, comprehen-
sive outpatient medical care facility to be built on the 
grounds of the Pensacola Naval Air Station, Pensa-
cola, 
Florida, 
in 
an 
amount 
not 
to 
exceed 
$45,000,000. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for fiscal year 2004 for the Construction, Major 
Projects, account $332,100,000 for the projects authorized 
in subsection (a). 
(c) LIMITATION.—The projects authorized in sub-
section (a) may only be carried out using—
(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2004 pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations in sub-
section (b); 
(2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 
Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2004 that 
remain available for obligation; and
(3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 
Projects, for fiscal year 2004 for a category of activity 
not specific to a project. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 
LEASES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into 
leases as follows: 
(1) For an outpatient clinic in Charlotte, North 
Carolina, in an amount not to exceed $3,000,000. 
(2) For facilities for a multi-specialty outpatient 
clinic for the Veterans Health Administration and a 
satellite office for the Veterans Benefits Administra-
tion in Clark County, Nevada, at an annual lease 
amount not to exceed $6,500,000. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON DISPOSAL OF LAKESIDE DIVISION, 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MED-
ICAL FACILITIES, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 
(a) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may not make a final disposal under section 8162 of title 
38, United States Code, of the Lakeside Division facility 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities in 
Chicago, Illinois, until the Secretary has entered into a con-
tract for the construction project authorized by section 
3(a)(1). 
(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘disposal’’, with respect to the Lakeside Division facil-
ity, includes entering into a long-term lease or sharing 
agreement under which a party other than the Secretary 
has operational control of the facility.
SEC. 5. PLANS FOR FACILITIES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY 
AND FAR SOUTH TEXAS. 
(a) PLAN.—(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
develop—
(A) a plan to establish an inpatient facility to 
meet hospital care needs of veterans who reside in 
southern New Jersey; and 
(B) a plan for hospital care needs of veterans 
who reside in far south Texas. 
(2) In developing the plans under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall, at a minimum, consider options using the 
existing authorities of section 8111 and 8153 of title 38, 
United States Code—
(A) to establish a hospital staffed and managed 
by employees of the Department, either in private or 
public facilities, including Federal facilities; or 
(B) to enter into contracts with existing private 
facilities and private providers for that care. 
(b) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives a report on each plan under subsection (a) 
not later than January 31, 2004.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘far south Texas’’ means the fol-
lowing counties of the State of Texas: Bee, Calhoun, 
Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Goliad, Jackson, Victoria, 
Webb, Aransas, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, 
Refugio, San Patricio, Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, 
Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr, Willacy, and Zapata. 
(2) The term ‘‘southern New Jersey’’ means the 
following counties of the State of New Jersey: Ocean, 
Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, 
Atlantic, and Cape May. 
SEC. 6. INCREASE IN MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY CON-
STRUCTION COST THRESHOLD. 
Section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘$4,000,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$6,000,000’’. 
SEC. 7. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
HEALTH CARE FACILITY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 
The Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility 
located at 820 South Damen Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, 
shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known 
and designated as the ‘‘Jesse Brown Department of Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center’’. Any reference to such facility in 
any law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record 
of the United States shall be considered to be a reference
to the Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center. 
SEC. 8. STUDY AND REPORT ON FEASIBILITY OF COORDINA-
TION OF VETERANS HEALTH CARE SERVICES 
IN SOUTH CAROLINA WITH NEW UNIVERSITY 
MEDICAL CENTER. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall conduct a study to examine the feasibility of co-
ordination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of its 
needs for inpatient hospital, medical care, and long-term 
care services for veterans with the pending construction of 
a new university medical center at the Medical University 
of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED IN STUDY.—(1) As 
part of the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
consider the following: 
(A) Integration with the Medical University of 
South Carolina of some or all of the services referred 
to in subsection (a) through contribution to the con-
struction of that university’s new medical facility or 
by becoming a tenant provider in that new facility. 
(B) Construction by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs of a new independent inpatient or outpatient 
facility alongside or nearby the university’s new facil-
ity.