[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2422 Referred in House (RFH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2422
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 25, 2016
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fiscal Year 2016 Department of
Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Construction Authorization Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CERTAIN MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, which was passed by
the Senate on November 10, 2015, without a single vote cast
against the bill, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016
include the following amounts to be appropriated to the
Department of Veterans Affairs:
(A) $35,000,000 to make seismic corrections to
Building 208 at the West Los Angeles Medical Center of
the Department in Los Angeles, California, which,
according to the Department, is a building that is
designated as having an exceptionally high risk of
sustaining substantial damage or collapsing during an
earthquake.
(B) $158,000,000 to provide for the construction 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 of sustaining major damage
during an earthquake.
(D) $468,800,000 for construction projects that are
critical to the Department for ensuring health care
access and safety at medical facilities in Louisville,
Kentucky, Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri,
Perry Point, Maryland, American Lake, Washington,
Alameda, California, and Livermore, California.
(2) The Department is unable to obligate or expend the
amounts described in paragraph (1), other than for construction
design, because the Department 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 increases the risk of a
life-threatening building failure in the case of a major
seismic event.
(5) According to the United States Geological Survey--
(A) California has more than a 99 percent chance of
experiencing an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or greater
in the next 30 years;
(B) even earthquakes of less severity than
magnitude 6.7 can cause life threatening damage to
seismically unsafe buildings; and
(C) in California, earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or
greater occur on average once every 1.2 years.
(b) Authorization.--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 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 medical 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, California, in an amount not to
exceed $287,100,000.
(4) Construction of an outpatient clinic, administrative
space, cemetery, and columbarium in Alameda, California, in an
amount not to exceed $87,332,000.
(5) Realignment of medical facilities in Livermore,
California, in an amount not to exceed $194,430,000.
(6) Construction of a medical center in Louisville,
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 Construction.--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
Construction, Major Projects, account, $1,113,802,000 for the projects
authorized in subsection (b).
(d) Limitation.--The projects authorized in subsection (b) may only
be carried out using--
(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2016 pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations in subsection (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 activity 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.
Passed the Senate January 20, 2016.
Attest:
JULIE E. ADAMS,
Secretary.