,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eeb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #f1 #bjac  
,mr4 ,hinojosa 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,vela1
 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,castro of ,texas1  
,mr4 ,cuellar1 ,mr4 ,veasey1 ,mr4       
,gallego1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,ms4 ,linda  
,t4 ,snchez of ,california1 and ,ms4    
,michelle ,lujan ,grisham of ,new       
,mexico7 introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require the ,secretary of ,veterans     
,affairs to ensure that the ,south      
,texas ,veterans ,affairs ,health ,care 
,center in ,harlingen1 ,texas1 includes 
a full-service ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs inpatient health care facility4
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,meeting the ,inpatient    
,health ,care ,needs of ,far ,south     
,texas ,veterans ,act of #bjac4  #b4    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,the current and future 
health care needs of veterans residing  

in the ,far ,south ,texas area are not  
being fully met by the ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs4  7#b7 ,the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
estimates that more than #aag1jjj       
veterans reside in ,far ,south ,texas4  
7#c7 ,in its ,capital ,asset            
,realignment for ,enhanced ,services    
study1 the ,department of ,veterans     
,affairs found that fewer than #c       
percent of its enrollees in the         
,valley-,coastal ,bend ,market of       
,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network 
#ag reside within its acute hospital    
access standards4  7#d7 ,travel times   
for veterans from the market referred to
 in paragraph 7#c7 can exceed six hours 
from their residences to the nearest    
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
hospital for acute inpatient health     
care4  7#e7 ,even with the significant  
travel times1 veterans from ,far ,south 
,texas demonstrate a high demand for    
health care services from the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  7#f7

 ,current deployments involving members 
of the ,texas ,national ,guard and other
 members of the reserve components of   
the ,armed ,forces who reside in ,texas 
will continue to increase demand for    
medical services provided by the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  #c4 
,inpatient health care at the ,south    
,texas ,veterans ,affairs ,health ,care 
,center  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 of ,veterans ,affairs shall ensure that
 the ,south ,texas ,veterans ,affairs   
,health ,care ,center in ,harlingen1    
,texas1 includes a full-service         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
inpatient health care facility and1 if  
necessary1 shall modify the existing    
facility to meet this requirement4  7b7 
,report ,not later than #ahj days after 
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary shall submit to the      
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,senate and the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives a report outlining the 

specific actions the ,secretary plans to
 take to satisfy the requirements in    
subsection 7a71 including a detailed    
estimate of the cost of such actions1 if
 any1 and the time necessary for        
completion of any modification required 
by such subsection4