Title: A bill to authorize the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements for the planning, design, and construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical facilities, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements for the planning, design, and construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical facilities.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2526 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2526

  To authorize the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
    Affairs to enter into agreements for the planning, design, and 
construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical facilities, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 28, 2021

 Mr. Sullivan introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
    Affairs to enter into agreements for the planning, design, and 
construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical facilities, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS FOR PLANNING, DESIGN, 
              AND CONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES TO BE OPERATED AS SHARED 
              MEDICAL FACILITIES.

    (a) Authority of Secretary of Defense.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 55 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by inserting after section 1104 the following 
        new section:
``Sec. 1104a. Shared medical facilities with Department of Veterans 
              Affairs
    ``(a) Agreements.--The Secretary of Defense may enter into 
agreements with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the planning, 
design, and construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical 
facilities.
    ``(b) Transfer of Funds by Secretary of Defense.--(1) The Secretary 
of Defense may transfer to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs amounts as 
follows:
            ``(A) For the construction of a shared medical facility, 
        amounts not in excess of the amount authorized under subsection 
        (a)(2) of section 2805 of this title, if--
                    ``(i) the amount of the share of the Department of 
                Defense for the estimated cost of the project does not 
                exceed the amount authorized under such subsection; and
                    ``(ii) the other requirements of such section have 
                been met with respect to funds identified for transfer.
            ``(B) For the planning, design, and construction of space 
        for a shared medical facility, amounts appropriated for the 
        Defense Health Program.
    ``(2) The authority to transfer funds under this section is in 
addition to any other authority to transfer funds available to the 
Secretary of Defense.
    ``(3) Section 2215 of this title does not apply to a transfer of 
funds under this subsection.
    ``(c) Transfer of Funds to Secretary of Defense.--(1) Any amount 
transferred to the Secretary of Defense by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for necessary expenses for the planning, design, and 
construction of a shared medical facility, if the amount of the share 
of the Department of Defense for the cost of such project does not 
exceed the amount specified in section 2805(a)(2) of this title, may be 
credited to accounts of the Department of Defense available for the 
construction of a shared medical facility.
    ``(2) Any amount transferred to the Secretary of Defense by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of the planning and 
design of space for a shared medical facility may be credited to 
accounts of the Department of Defense available for such purposes, and 
may be used for such purposes.
    ``(3) Using accounts credited with transfers from the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense may 
carry out unspecified minor military construction projects, if the 
share of the Department of Defense for the cost of such project does 
not exceed the amount specified in section 2805(a)(2) of this title.
    ``(d) Merger of Amounts Transferred.--Any amount transferred to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (b) and any amount 
transferred to the Secretary of Defense under subsection (c) shall be 
merged with and available for the same purposes and the same period as 
the appropriation or fund to which transferred.
    ``(e) Appropriation in Advance.--Amounts may be transferred 
pursuant to the authority under this section only to the extent and in 
the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
    ``(f) Shared Medical Facility Defined.--In this section, the term 
`shared medical facility'--
            ``(1) means a building or buildings, or a campus, intended 
        to be used by both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense for the provision of health care 
        services, whether under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of Defense, and whether or 
        not located on a military installation or on real property 
        under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 
        and
            ``(2) includes any necessary building and auxiliary 
        structure, garage, parking facility, mechanical equipment, 
        abutting and covered sidewalks, and accommodations for 
        attending personnel.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 55 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 1104 the following new item:

``1104a. Shared medical facilities with Department of Veterans 
                            Affairs.''.
    (b) Authority of Secretary of Veterans Affairs.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 81 of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended by inserting after section 8111A the following 
        new section:
``Sec. 8111B. Shared medical facilities with Department of Defense
    ``(a) Agreements.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into 
agreements with the Secretary of Defense for the planning, design, and 
construction of facilities to be operated as shared medical facilities.
    ``(b) Transfer of Funds by Secretary of Veterans Affairs.--(1) The 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs may transfer to the Department of Defense 
amounts appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
`Construction, minor projects' for use for the planning, design, or 
construction of a shared medical facility if the estimated share of the 
project costs of the Department of Veterans Affairs does not exceed the 
amount specified in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of this title.
    ``(2) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may transfer to the 
Department of Defense amounts appropriated to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs for `Construction, major projects' for use for the 
planning, design, or construction of a shared medical facility if--
            ``(A) the estimated share of the project costs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs exceeds the amount specified in 
        section 8104(a)(3)(A) of this title; and
            ``(B) the other requirements of section 8104 of this title 
        have been met with respect to amounts identified for transfer.
    ``(c) Transfer of Funds to Secretary of Veterans Affairs.--(1) Any 
amount transferred to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs by the 
Secretary of Defense for necessary expenses for the planning, design, 
or construction of a shared medical facility, if the estimated share of 
the project costs of the Department of Veterans Affairs does not exceed 
the amount specified in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of this title, may be 
credited to the `Construction, minor projects' account of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and used for the necessary expenses of 
constructing such shared medical facility.
    ``(2) Any amount transferred to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
by the Secretary of Defense for necessary expenses for the planning, 
design, or construction of a shared medical facility, if the estimated 
share of the project costs of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
exceeds the amount specified in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of this title, 
may be credited to the `Construction, major projects' account of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and used for the necessary expenses of 
constructing such shared medical facility if the other requirements of 
section 8104 of this title have been met with respect to amounts 
identified for transfer.
    ``(d) Merger of Amounts Transferred.--Any amount transferred to the 
Secretary of Defense under subsection (b) and any amount transferred to 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (c) shall be merged 
with and available for the same purposes and the same period as the 
appropriation or fund to which transferred.
    ``(e) Appropriation in Advance.--Amounts may be transferred 
pursuant to the authority under this section only to the extent and in 
the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
    ``(f) Shared Medical Facility Defined.--In this section, the term 
`shared medical facility'--
            ``(1) means a building or buildings, or a campus, intended 
        to be used by both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense for the provision of health care 
        services, whether under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of Defense, and whether or 
        not located on a military installation or on real property 
        under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 
        and
            ``(2) includes any necessary building and auxiliary 
        structure, garage, parking facility, mechanical equipment, 
        abutting and covered sidewalks, and accommodations for 
        attending personnel.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of subchapter I of chapter 81 of such title is 
        amended by inserting after the item relating to section 8111A 
        the following new item:

``8111B. Shared medical facilities with Department of Defense.''.
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