,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #hcc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #bc1         
#bjae,mrs4 ,feinstein 7for herself and  
,mrs4 ,boxer7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and 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 appropriations were 
made for fiscal year #bjae1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs ,medical ,facility   
,earthquake ,protection and ,improvement
 ,act4  #b4 ,authorization of certain   
major medical facility projects of the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs for   
which amounts have been appropriated    
7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the       
following3  7#a7 ,the ,consolidated and 
,further ,continuing ,appropriations    
,act1 #bjae 7,public ,law #aac-bce7     
appropriated to the ,department of      

,veterans ,affairs--  7,a7 #ce1jjj1jjj  
to make seismic corrections to ,building
 #bje in the ,west ,los ,angeles        
,medical ,center of the ,department in  
,los ,angeles1 ,california1 which1      
according to the ,department1 is a      
building that is designated as having an
 exceptionally high risk of sustaining  
substantial damage or collapsing during 
an earthquake2  7,b7 #aja1ijj1jjj to    
replace the community living center and 
mental health facilities of the         
,department in ,long ,beach1            
,california1 which1 according to the    
,department1 are designated as having an
 exceptionally high risk of sustaining  
substantial damage or collapsing during 
an earthquake2  7,c7 #ahg1ejj1jjj to    
replace the existing spinal cord injury 
clinic of the ,department in ,san       
,diego1 ,california1 which1 according to
 the ,department1 is designated as      
having an extremely high risk of        
sustaining major damage during an       
earthquake2 and  7,d7 #abb1djj1jjj to   

make renovations to address substantial 
safety and compliance issues at the     
medical center of the ,department in    
,canandaigua1 ,new ,york1 and for the   
construction of a new clinic and        
community living center at such medical 
center4  7#b7 ,the ,department is unable
 to obligate or expend the amounts      
described in paragraph 7#a7 because it  
lacks an explicit authorization by an   
,act of ,congress pursuant to section   
#hajd7;a77#b7 of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 to carry out the major   
medical facility projects described in  
such paragraph4  7#c7 ,among the major  
medical facility projects described in  
paragraph 7#a71 three are critical      
seismic safety projects in ,california4 
7#d7 ,every day that the critical       
seismic safety projects described in    
paragraph 7#c7 are delayed puts the     
lives of veterans and employees of the  
,department at risk4  7#e7 ,according to
 the ,united ,states ,geological        
,survey-- 7,a7 ,california has a        

#ii-percent chance or greater of        
experiencing an earthquake of magnitude 
#f4g or greater in the next #cj years2  
7,b7 even earthquakes of less severity  
than magnitude #f4g can cause life      
threatening damage to seismically unsafe
 buildings2 and  7,c7 in ,california1   
earthquakes of magnitude #f4j or greater
 occur on average once every #a4b years4
  7b7 ,authorization ,the ,secretary of 
,veterans ,affairs may carry out the    
major medical facility projects of the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
specified in the explanatory statement  
accompanying the ,consolidated and      
,further ,continuing ,appropriations    
,act1 #bjae 7,public ,law #aac-bce7 at  
the locations and in the amounts        
specified in such explanatory statement1
 including by obligating and expending  
such amounts4