,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cjhi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #ah1 
#bjai,mr4 ,tester 7for himself and ,mr4 
,hawley7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a  
,,bill  ,to improve the construction and
 leasing of medical facilities of the   
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,build1  
,utilize1 ,invest1 ,lease1 and ,deliver 
for ,veterans ,act of #bjai or the      
,,build for ,veterans ,act of #bjai4    
#b4 ,treatment of major medical facility
 leases of the ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs  7a7 ,congressional approval of
 major medical facility leases  7#a7 ,in
 general ,paragraph 7#b7 of section     
#hajd7;a7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states 
,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking ,no
 funds and inserting 7,a7 ,no funds2    
7,b7 by striking or any major medical   
facility lease2  7,c7 by striking or    

lease2 and  7,d7 by adding at the end   
the following new subparagraph3  7,b7   
,no funds may be appropriated for any   
fiscal year 7other than for advance     
planning and design7 for any major      
medical facility lease unless the       
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,senate and the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives each adopt a resolution
 approving the lease4  4  7#b7          
,applicability ,the amendments made by  
paragraph 7#a7 shall apply with respect 
to a lease that has not been            
specifically authorized by law on or    
before the date of the enactment of this
 ,act4  7b7 ,modification of definition 
of major medical facility lease         
,paragraph 7#c77;,b7 of such section is 
amended to read as follows3  7,b7 ,the  
term major medical facility lease means 
a lease for space for use as a new      
medical facility at an average annual   
rent equal to or greater than the dollar
 threshold for leases procured through  

the ,general ,services ,administration  
under section #ccjg7;a77#b7 of title    
#dj1 which shall be subject to annual   
adjustment in accordance with section   
#ccjg7;h7 of such title1 but such term  
does not include a lease for space for  
use as a shared ,federal medical        
facility for which the ,department's    
estimated share of the lease costs does 
not exceed that dollar threshold4  4    
#c4 ,modifications to enhanced-use lease
 authority of the ,department of        
,veterans ,affairs ,section             
#hafb7;a77#b7 of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 is amended to read as    
follows3  7#b7 7,a7 ,the ,secretary may 
enter into an enhanced-use lease on or  
after the date of the enactment of the  
,build1 ,utilize1 ,invest1 ,lease1 and  
,deliver for ,veterans ,act of #bjai    
only if the ,secretary determines that--
  7i7 the lease will not be inconsistent
 with and will not adversely affect--   
7,i7 the mission of the ,department2 or 
7,,ii7 the operation of facilities1     

programs1 and services of the           
,department in the local area2 and  7ii7
 7,i7 the lease will enhance the use of 
the leased property by directly or      
indirectly benefitting veterans2 or     
7,,ii7 the leased property will provide 
supportive housing4  7,b7 ,the          
,secretary shall give priority to       
enhanced used leases that1 on the leased
 property--  7i7 provide supportive     
housing for veterans2  7ii7 provide     
direct services or benefits targeted to 
veterans2 or  7iii7 provide services or 
benefits that indirectly support        
veterans4  4  #d4 ,facility planning    
staff at medical centers of the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7  
,staffing  7#a7 ,in general ,the        
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
ensure that each medical center of the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs has   
not fewer than one staff member whose   
sole job is--  7,a7 facility planning2  
7,b7 long-range capital planning2 and   
7,c7 management of projects and capital 

assets relating to the execution of     
major construction projects1 minor      
construction projects1 major leases1    
minor leases1 non-recurring maintenance1
 and related matters at the medical     
center and the catchment area           
surrounding the medical center4  7#b7   
,treatment of ,states and territories   
without a medical center ,in the case of
 a ,state or territory of the ,united   
,states in which the ,department does   
not operate a full-service medical      
center1 the staff member required under 
paragraph 7#a7 shall be located at the  
largest medical facility of the         
,department in that ,state or territory1
 and any reference in this section to a 
medical center shall be deemed to be a  
reference to that medical facility4  7b7
 ,long-,term planning and management ,an
 individual in a position described in  
subsection 7a7 at a medical center of   
the ,department shall not be the same   
individual responsible for day to day   
maintenance and repairs at the medical  

center or other medical facilities of   
the ,department in the catchment area   
surrounding the medical center4  7c7    
,qualifications ,the ,secretary shall   
ensure that an individual in a position 
described in subsection 7a7 has the     
appropriate professional certifications1
 educational background1 and other      
qualifications to manage the duties of  
such position under this section4  7d7  
,duties  7#a7 ,in general ,an individual
 in a position described in subsection  
7a7 at a medical center of the          
,department shall have the following    
duties3  7,a7 ,the development1         
monitoring1 and implementation of       
capital asset objectives for the        
catchment area surrounding the medical  
center1 including community-based       
outpatient clinics and other sites of   
care of the ,department in that area4   
7,b7 ,the coordination of capital asset 
management and planning with            
counterparts at other medical centers of
 the ,department in the region and      

facility planners for the ,veterans     
,integrated ,service ,network or        
,networks in the region4  7,c7          
,constantly monitoring the needs of     
veterans and staff of the ,department as
 it relates to medical space and        
services at the medical center and the  
catchment area surrounding the medical  
center to forward plan and identify and 
submit plans to meet those needs4  7,d7 
,in order to formulate local and        
regional capital improvement and asset  
management plans for medical facilities 
of the ,department1 the collection1 not 
less frequently than once every two     
years1 of--  7i7 views and expectations 
of veterans in the catchment area       
surrounding the medical center who are  
users of health care provided by the    
,department with respect to--  7,i7     
preferences and needs of those veterans 
for the care received from medical      
facilities of the ,department in that   
area2 and  7,,ii7 the need for          
improvements and enhancements to        

infrastructure of the ,department2 and  
7ii7 views of relevant medical staff of 
the ,department at the medical center   
and in the catchment area surrounding   
the medical center regarding their      
preferences and needs for how to deliver
 health care to veterans and how those  
preferences impact the infrastructure   
needs of the ,department4  7,e7 ,with   
respect to space1 planning1 and         
infrastructure policies and directives  
of the ,department1 including those     
issued by the central office of the     
,department1 the ,veterans ,health      
,administration1 the ,office of         
,acquisition1 ,logistics1 and           
,construction1 the ,office of           
,management1 the ,office of ,general    
,counsel1 a ,veterans ,integrated       
,service ,network1 and any other office 
of the ,department with significant     
responsibility over capital asset       
management and planning--  7i7          
understanding and implementing locally  
those policies and directives2 and  7ii7

 providing feedback regarding ways in   
which those policies and directives can 
be improved4  7#b7 ,collection of views 
and expectations  7,a7 ,in general      
,views and expectations may be collected
 under paragraph 7#a77;,d7 through      
multiple channels and the process used  
for such collection shall ensure that   
the views and expectations collected    
provide a representative sample of the  
population from which such views and    
expectations are collected4  7,b7       
,confidentiality ,any information       
collected under paragraph 7#a77;,d7     
shall be collected in a manner that     
provides an option for submission of    
views that are anonymous and            
confidential4  7,c7 ,inclusion of       
diverse viewpoints ,in collecting views 
and expectations of veterans under      
paragraph 7#a77;,d77i71 an individual in
 a position described in subsection 7a7 
at a medical center of the ,department  
shall ensure that the viewpoints of a   
diverse population of veterans being    

served by the medical center are        
captured4  7e7 ,development of standard 
process ,to solicit views on            
effectiveness  7#a7 ,in general ,the    
,secretary shall develop a standardized 
process to solicit1 not less frequently 
than once every two years1 feedback from
 medical centers and ,veterans          
,integrated ,service ,networks of the   
,department regarding the effectiveness 
of and ways to improve the              
infrastructure and asset management     
investment processes and guidance of the
 central office of the ,department and  
,veterans ,integrated ,service          
,networks4  7#b7 ,confidentiality ,any  
information collected under paragraph   
7#a7 shall be collected in a manner that
 provides an option for submission of   
views that are anonymous and            
confidential4  #e4 ,review of climate   
resilience of facilities of the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7  
,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans
 ,affairs shall conduct a comprehensive 

review of the climate resilience of     
facilities under the authority and      
jurisdiction of the ,secretary4  7b7    
,elements  7#a7 ,in general ,the review 
conducted under subsection 7a7 shall--  
7,a7 provide a comprehensive assessment 
of existing facilities that may be at   
risk due to changes in the climate1     
including potential vulnerabilities     
related to--  7i7 proximity to a body of
 water2  7ii7 proximity to an area prone
 to flooding2  7iii7 proximity to an    
area prone to wild fire2  7iv7 proximity
 to an area prone to tornadoes1         
hurricanes1 or other storms2 and  7v7   
such other matters as the ,secretary    
considers appropriate after consulting  
with the ,united ,states ,global ,change
 ,research ,program on the best         
available observations and              
forward-looking climate projections by  
region1 including sea level rise data2  
7,b7 include a description of strategies
 to improve the climate resilience of   
existing facilities at risk due to      

changes in the climate1 including       
potential modifications to facility     
operations and maintenance practices1   
and the cost of such strategies2  7,c7  
include an analysis of the design       
standards and building codes used by the
 ,department to site1 plan1 build1      
lease1 and renovate facilities and      
whether those design standards and      
building codes reflect both observed and
 forward-looking climate information2   
7,d7 use1 in consultation with the      
,united ,states ,global ,change         
,research ,program1 forward-looking     
climate information and other           
projections to anticipate changing      
environmental conditions during the     
design life of existing or planned      
facilities and infrastructure2 and  7,e7
 include recommendations for best       
practices for future placement1         
planning1 renovation1 and construction  
of facilities of the ,department so as  
to avoid or mitigate the challenges     
resulting from placing a facility in an 

area at risk of being vulnerable to harm
 from the impacts of changing           
environmental conditions4  7#b7 ,sources
 of information and projections ,sources
 of information and projections used    
under paragraph 7#a77;,d7 may include   
the ,bureau of the ,census 7for         
population projections71 the ,national  
,academies of ,sciences1 ,engineering1  
and ,medicine 7for land use change      
projections and climate projections71   
the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey 
7for land use change projections71 the  
,united ,states ,global ,change         
,research ,program and the ,national    
,climate ,assessment 7for climate       
observations and projections71 and such 
other sources as the ,secretary         
considers reliable in consultation with 
the ,united ,states ,global ,change     
,research ,program4  7c7 ,report  7#a7  
,in general ,not later than two years   
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the
 appropriate committees of ,congress a  

report detailing the results of the     
review conducted under subsection 7a7   
and the actions the ,secretary will take
 in response to the findings of such    
review4  7#b7 ,elements ,the report     
required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include
 the following3 7,a7 ,recommendations   
for legislative and administrative      
action to mitigate and respond to the   
findings contained in such review4  7,b7
 ,a description of action to be taken by
 the ,secretary to improve the climate  
resilience of existing facilities of the
 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4     
7,c7 ,a description of changes in       
policy1 directives1 and procedures of   
the ,department to mitigate1 plan for1  
and improve resilience of future        
constructed facilities of the           
,department4  7,d7 ,the estimated cost  
to implement the changes described in   
the report4  7,e7 ,the estimate timeline
 to implement the changes described in  
the report4  7,f7 ,such other matters1  
recommendations1 or requests as the     

,secretary considers appropriate4  7d7  
,definitions ,in this section3  7#a7    
,appropriate committees of ,congress    
,the term appropriate committees of     
,congress means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on
 ,appropriations and the ,committee on  
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate2 and 
7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations  
and the ,committee on ,veterans'        
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives4  7#b7 ,climate        
resilience ,the term climate resilience 
means-- 7,a7 anticipating1 preparing    
for1 and adapting to changing           
environmental conditions such as        
variations in average weather conditions
 that persist over multiple decades or  
longer that encompass increases and     
decreases in temperature1 shifts in     
precipitation1 and changing risk of     
certain types of severe weather events2 
and  7,b7 the ability to withstand1     
respond to1 and recover rapidly from    
disruptions while ensuring the          
sustainment of mission-critical         

operations4  #f4 ,review of             
infrastructure needs for deployment of  
the ,electronic ,health ,record         
,modernization initiative of the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7  
,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans
 ,affairs shall conduct a review of the 
physical space needs of each facility of
 the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  
as it relates to the deployment of the  
,electronic ,health ,record             
,modernization initiative of the        
,department4  7b7 ,elements ,the review 
conducted under subsection 7a7 shall    
include an assessment of the amount and 
type of space1 by facility1 that needs  
to be renovated1 modified1 or           
constructed to accommodate any new or   
existing information technology or other
 infrastructure needed for the effective
 deployment of the new electronic health
 record of the ,department4  7c7 ,report
  7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #bge 
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit  

to the appropriate committees of        
,congress a report--  7,a7 summarizing  
the findings of the review conducted    
under subsection 7a72  7,b7 detailing   
any legislative or administrative action
 needed to carry out any projects       
recommended in the review2  7,c7        
containing a timeline to complete any   
such projects2  7,d7 containing the cost
 and location of any such projects2 and 
7,e7 containing such recommendations1   
information1 or requests as the         
,secretary considers appropriate4  7#b7 
,appropriate committees of ,congress    
defined ,in this subsection1 the term   
appropriate committees of ,congress     
means--  7,a7 the ,committee on         
,appropriations and the ,committee on   
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate2 and 
7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations  
and the ,committee on ,veterans'        
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives4