,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ejdb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #i1 #bjad ,mr4 ,mc,nerney introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out a pilot program under which the ,secretary enters into partnership agreements with non-,federal entities for the construction of major medical facility projects4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,jumpstart ,,va ,construction ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the buildings of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs have an average age of #fj years4 7#b7 ,since #bjjd1 use of ,department facilities has grown from #hj percent to #abj percent1 while the condition of these facilities has eroded from #ha percent to #ga percent over that same period of time4 7#c7 ,the ,department currently manages and maintains more than #e1fjj buildings and almost #cd1jjj acres of land4 7#d7 ,more than #c1ijj infrastructure gaps remain that will cost between #ed1jjj1jjj1jjj and #ff1jjj1jjj1jjj to close1 including #aj1jjj1jjj1jjj in activation costs4 7#e7 ,the ,veterans ,health ,administration has #ba major construction projects dating to #bjjg that have been only partially funded4 7#f7 ,the total unobligated amount for all currently budgeted major construction projects exceeds #b1ijj1jjj1jjj4 7#g7 ,to finish existing projects and to close current and future gaps1 the ,department will need to invest at least #bc1bjj1jjj1jjj over the next #aj years4 7#h7 ,at current requested funding levels1 it will take more than #fg years to complete the #aj-year capital investment plan of the ,department4 #c4 ,pilot program for the construction of ,department of ,veterans ,affairs major medical facility projects by non-,federal entities under partnership agreements 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a #aj-year pilot program under which the ,secretary shall enter into partnership agreements on a competitive basis with appropriate non-,federal entities for the construction of major construction projects authorized by law4 7b7 ,selection of projects 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall select #aj major construction projects for completion by non-,federal entities under the pilot program4 ,each project selected shall be a major medical facility project authorized by law for the construction of a new facility for which-- 7,a7 ,congress has appropriated any funds2 7,b7 the design and development phase is complete2 and 7,c7 construction has not begun1 as of the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#b7 ,type of projects ,in selecting major construction projects under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall select-- 7,a7 four seismic-related projects2 7,b7 four community based outpatient clinic-related projects2 and 7,c7 two other projects4 7c7 ,agreements ,each partnership agreement for a construction project under the pilot program shall provide that-- 7#a7 the non-,federal entity shall obtain any permits required pursuant to ,federal and ,state laws before beginning to carry out construction2 and 7#b7 if requested by the non-,federal entity1 the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance for obtaining any necessary permits for the construction project4 7d7 ,responsibilities of ,secretary ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 appoint a non-,department of ,veterans ,affairs entity as the project manager of each major construction project for which the ,secretary enters into a partnership agreement under the pilot program2 7#b7 ensure that the project manager appointed under paragraph 7#a7 develops and implements a project management plan to ensure concise and consistent communication of all parties involved in the project2 7#c7 work in cooperation with each non-,federal entity with which the ,secretary enters into a partnership agreement to minimize multiple change orders2 7#d7 develop metrics to monitor change order process times1 with the intent of expediting any change order2 and 7#e7 monitor any construction project carried out by a non-,federal entity under the pilot program to ensure that such construction is in compliance with the ,federal ,acquisition ,regulations and ,department of ,veterans ,affairs acquisition regulations and that the costs are reasonable4 7e7 ,reimbursement 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall reimburse1 without interest1 a non-,federal entity that carries out work pursuant to a partnership agreement under the pilot program in an amount equal to the estimated ,federal share of the cost of such work4 ,any costs that exceed the amount originally agreed upon between the ,secretary and the non-,federal entity shall be paid by the non-,federal entity4 ,the ,secretary may commence making payments to a non-,federal entity under this subsection upon entering into a partnership agreement with the entity under this section4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the ,secretary may not make any reimbursement payment under this subsection until the ,secretary determines that the work for which the reimbursement is requested has been performed in accordance with applicable permits and approved plans4 7#c7 ,budget requests ,the ,secretary shall budget for reimbursement under this section on a schedule that is consistent with the budgeting process of the ,department and the ongoing ,strategic ,capital ,investment ,planning priorities list4 7f7 ,comptroller ,general report ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a biennial report on the partnership agreements entered into under the pilot program4 7g7 ,deadline for implementation ,the ,secretary shall begin implementing the pilot program under this section by not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4