I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4334 
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out certain major 
medical facility projects for which appropriations are being made for 
fiscal year 2016. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 6, 2016 
Mr. TED LIEU of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
certain major medical facility projects for which appro-
priations are being made for fiscal year 2016. 
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 ‘‘Fiscal Year 2016 De-
partment of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Con-
struction Authorization Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FA-
CILITY PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 
(Public Law 114–113), which was signed by the 
President on December 18, 2015, included the fol-
lowing amounts to be appropriated to the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs: 
(A) $35,000,000 to make seismic correc-
tions to Building 208 at the West Los Angeles 
Medical Center of the Department in Los Ange-
les, California, which, according to the Depart-
ment, is a building that is designated as having 
an exceptionally high risk of sustaining sub-
stantial damage or collapsing during an earth-
quake. 
(B) $158,000,000 to provide for the con-
struction of a new research building, site work, 
and demolition at the San Francisco Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center. 
(C) $161,000,000 to replace Building 133 
with a new community living center at the Long 
Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which, 
according to the Department, is a building that 
is designated as having an extremely high risk 
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of sustaining major damage during an earth-
quake. 
(D) $468,800,000 for construction projects 
that are critical to the Department for ensuring 
health care access and safety at medical facili-
ties in Louisville, Kentucky, Jefferson Barracks 
in St. Louis, Missouri, Perry Point, Maryland, 
American Lake, Washington, Alameda, Cali-
fornia, and Livermore, California. 
(2) The Department is unable to obligate or ex-
pend the amounts described in paragraph (1), other 
than for construction design, because the Depart-
ment lacks an explicit authorization by an Act of 
Congress pursuant to section 8104(a)(2) of title 38, 
United States Code, to carry out the major medical 
facility projects described in such paragraph. 
(3) Among the major medical facility projects 
described in paragraph (1), three are critical seismic 
safety projects in California. 
(4) Every day that the critical seismic safety 
projects described in paragraph (3) are delayed in-
creases the risk of a life-threatening building failure 
in the case of a major seismic event. 
(5) According to the United States Geological 
Survey— 
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(A) California has more than a 99-percent 
chance of experiencing an earthquake of mag-
nitude 6.7 or greater in the next 30 years; 
(B) even earthquakes of less severity than 
magnitude 6.7 can cause life threatening dam-
age to seismically unsafe buildings; and 
(C) in California, earthquakes of mag-
nitude 6.0 or greater occur on average once 
every 1.2 years. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs 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 to buildings, including 
retrofitting and replacement of high-risk buildings, 
in San Francisco, California, in an amount not to 
exceed $180,480,000. 
(2) Seismic corrections to facilities, including 
facilities to support homeless veterans, at the med-
ical center in West Los Angeles, California, in an 
amount not to exceed $105,500,000. 
(3) Seismic corrections to the mental health 
and community living center in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia, in an amount not to exceed $287,100,000. 
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(4) Construction of an outpatient clinic, admin-
istrative space, cemetery, and columbarium in Ala-
meda, California, in an amount not to exceed 
$87,332,000. 
(5) Realignment of medical facilities in Liver-
more, California, in an amount not to exceed 
$194,430,000. 
(6) Construction of a medical center in Louis-
ville, Kentucky, in an amount not to exceed 
$150,000,000. 
(7) Construction of a replacement community 
living center in Perry Point, Maryland, in an 
amount not to exceed $92,700,000. 
(8) Seismic corrections and other renovations to 
several buildings and construction of a specialty care 
building in American Lake, Washington, in an 
amount not to exceed $16,260,000. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CON-
STRUCTION.—There is authorized to be appropriated to 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2016 or 
the year in which funds are appropriated for the Construc-
tion, Major Projects, account, $1,113,802,000 for the 
projects authorized in subsection (b). 
(d) LIMITATION.—The projects authorized in sub-
section (b) may only be carried out using— 
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(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2016 pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations in sub-
section (c); 
(2) funds available for Construction, Major 
Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 
that remain available for obligation; 
(3) funds available for Construction, Major 
Projects, for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 that 
remain available for obligation; 
(4) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 
Projects, for fiscal year 2016 for a category of activ-
ity not specific to a project; 
(5) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 
Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2016 for 
a category of activity not specific to a project; and 
(6) funds appropriated for Construction, Major 
Projects, for a fiscal year after fiscal year 2016 for 
a category of activity not specific to a project. 
Æ 
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