,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bdab  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bc1     
#bjbe,mr4 ,banks 7for himself and ,mr4  
,tuberville7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to reform the    
requirements and authorities of the     
,director of ,construction and          
,facilities ,management of the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs and to
 reform the acquisition1 procurement1   
logistics1 leasing1 and construction    
activities of the ,department1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs ,acquisition ,reform 
,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
finds the following3 7#a7 ,the          
organization of the ,department of      
,veterans ,affairs relating to          
construction and leasing activities does
 not comply with the requirements of    

section #cab;,a of title #ch1 ,united   
,states ,code4  7#b7 ,the ,department   
lacks a consistent1 cohesive1 or        
effective approach to manage its        
portfolio of real estate assets and     
infrastructure and to carry out         
construction and leasing4  7#c7 ,the    
organization of the ,department relating
 to procurement and acquisition1        
generally1 is redundant and ineffective4
  7#d7 ,the ,department's policies and  
operations relating to procurement and  
acquisition1 generally1 are hampered by 
the organization of the ,department4    
#c4 ,reforming requirements and         
authorities of ,director of             
,construction and ,facilities           
,management of ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs ,section #cab;,a of title #ch1 
,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7
 in subsection 7a77#d71 by inserting 1  
the ,under ,secretary for ,health1 and  
the ,chief ,acquisition ,officer after  
,deputy ,secretary2 and  7#b7 by adding 
at the end the following new subsection3

  7d7 ,supervision of employees  7#a7   
,all employees of the ,department       
engaged in the following activities     
shall report to the ,director of        
,construction and ,facilities           
,management3 7,a7 ,planning1 design1 and
 construction of facilities and         
infrastructure of the ,department1      
including major medical facility        
projects and minor medical facility     
projects4  7,b7 ,developing and updating
 short-range and long-range strategic   
capital investment strategies and plans 
of the ,department4  7,c7 ,leasing of   
real property by the ,department1       
including short-term1 long-term1 major  
medical facility leases1 and minor      
medical facility leases4  7,d7 ,repair1 
maintenance1 and operation of facilities
 of the ,department1 including custodial
 services1 building management and      
administration1 and maintenance of      
roads1 grounds1 and infrastructure4     
7,e7 ,procurement and acquisition of    
major medical facility projects1 minor  

medical facility projects1 major medical
 facility leases1 minor medical facility
 leases1 operation1 design1 furnishing1 
and supplies and equipment4  7#b7 ,in   
this subsection3 7,a7 ,the term major   
medical facility lease has the meaning  
given such term in section #hajd7;a77#c7
 of this title4  7,b7 ,the term major   
medical facility project has the meaning
 given such term in section             
#hajd7;a77#c7 of this title4  7,c7 ,the 
term minor medical facility project     
means a project for the construction1   
alteration1 or acquisition of a medical 
facility that is not a major medical    
facility project4  7,d7 ,the term minor 
medical facility lease means a lease for
 space for uses as a new medical        
facility that is not a major medical    
facility lease4  4  #d4 ,consolidation  
of construction and leasing activities  
of ,department of ,veterans ,affairs    
,not later than #a year after the date  
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall--

 7#a7 consolidate the functions of the  
,veterans ,benefits ,administration1 the
 ,veterans ,health ,administration1 and 
the ,national ,cemetery ,administration 
described in subsection 7c7 of section  
#cab;,a of title #ch1 ,united ,states   
,code1 under the ,director of           
,construction and ,facilities           
,management2  7#b7 consolidate the      
employees of the ,veterans ,benefits    
,administration1 the ,veterans ,health  
,administration1 and the ,national      
,cemetery ,administration described in  
subsection 7d7 of such section1 as added
 by section #c1 under the ,director of  
,construction and ,facilities           
,management2 and  7#c7 as a component of
 the regional organizational structure  
described in section #e7;b71 establish a
 regional organizational structure for  
the employees described in paragraph    
7#b7 reporting to the ,director of      
,construction and ,facilities           
,management4  #e4 ,consolidation of     
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       

acquisition1 procurement1 and logistics 
7a7 ,organizational consolidation ,not  
later than #a year after the date of the
 enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs shall             
organizationally consolidate under the  
,chief ,acquisition ,officer of the     
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
7designated in accordance with section  
#agjb of title #da1 ,united ,states     
,code7 the functions of the ,veterans   
,benefits ,administration1 the ,veterans
 ,health ,administration1 and the       
,national ,cemetery ,administration     
relating to-- 7#a7 acquisition2  7#b7   
procurement and contracting2  7#c7      
logistics2 and  7#d7 the administration 
of chapter #ha of title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code4  7b7 ,regional           
organizational structure  7#a7          
,establishment required ,the ,secretary 
shall establish a regional              
organizational structure for the        
employees performing the functions      
described in subsection 7a7 reporting to

 the ,chief ,acquisition ,officer of the
 ,department4  7#b7 ,requirements ,the  
regional organizational structure       
established pursuant to paragraph 7#a7  
shall-- 7,a7 correspond in part or in   
whole to the boundaries of the ,veterans
 ,integrated ,service ,networks of the  
,veterans ,health ,administration2  7,b7
 may include overarching or constituent 
organizational structures2 and  7,c7 may
 include dedicated offices for the      
,veterans ,benefits ,administration or  
,national ,cemetery ,administration4    
7#c7 ,regional directors  7,a7 ,regional
 directors of acquisition1 logistics1   
and construction  7i7 ,in general ,the  
,secretary shall ensure that each region
 within the organizational structure    
established pursuant to paragraph 7#a7  
is headed by a regional director of     
acquisition1 logistics1 and construction
 reporting to the ,chief ,acquisition   
,officer of the ,department responsible 
for supervising the functions described 
in 7a74  7ii7 ,career reserved positions

 ,each regional director described in   
clause 7i7 shall be a career reserved   
position1 as such term is defined in    
section #cacb7;a7 of title #e1 ,united  
,states ,code4  7iii7 ,selection        
,regional directors described in clause 
7i7 may be selected from among current  
employees of the ,department performing 
functions described in subsection 7a74  
7,b7 ,regional directors of construction
 and leasing ,the ,secretary shall      
ensure that each region within the      
organizational structure established    
pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 includes a   
regional director of construction and   
leasing who-- 7i7 reports to the        
regional director of acquisition1       
logistics1 and construction heading the 
region pursuant to subparagraph 7,a72   
and  7ii7 is responsible for supervising
 the employees for the region described 
in section #d7b74  7c7 ,relocation      
,subsection 7a7 shall not be construed  
to require the physical relocation of   
employees of the ,department4  #f4      

,improvements to hiring of entry-level  
acquisition positions in ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,priority use of
 internship programs for hiring into    
entry-,level positions in acquisitions  
,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs   
shall prioritize the use of acquisition 
internship programs to hire employees to
 entry-level positions relating to      
acquisition in the ,department of       
,veterans ,affairs4  7b7 ,annual number 
of participants in acquisition          
internship programs  7#a7 ,in general   
,not later than ,september #cj of the   
first fiscal year beginning after the   
date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,secretary shall take such actions as   
may be necessary to ensure that the     
annual number of participants in        
acquisition internship programs of the  
,department is-- 7,a7 not fewer than    
twice the number of participants in such
 programs during fiscal year #bjbe2 and 
7,b7 not more than #d times the number  
of participants in such programs during 

such fiscal year4  7#b7 ,termination    
,the requirements of paragraph 7#a7     
shall terminate on the date on which the
 ,secretary certifies to the appropriate
 committees of ,congress that the       
projected number of graduates of        
acquisition internship programs is      
sufficient to satisfy the human capital 
needs of the ,department with respect to
 acquisition1 taking into account the   
rate of attrition and projected         
retirements of personnel4  7#c7         
,definition of appropriate committees of
 ,congress ,in this subsection1 the term
 appropriate committees of ,congress    
means the ,committee on ,veterans'      
,affairs of the ,senate and the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,house of ,representatives4  #g4       
,reports to ,congress  7a7 ,report on   
use of additional authorities relating  
to recruitment and retention of         
personnel ,not later than #ij days after
 the date of the enactment of this ,act1
 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs   

shall submit to the appropriate         
committees of ,congress a report        
detailing how the ,secretary will use   
the authorities of section #gjf of title
 #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to increase
 the size and performance of the        
acquisition workforce of the ,department
 of ,veterans ,affairs4  7b7 ,report on 
consolidation activities ,not later than
 #cij days after the date of the        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall submit to the appropriate         
committees of ,congress a report        
detailing how sections #d and #e were   
implemented4  7c7 ,definitions ,in this 
section3 7#a7 ,acquisition workforce of 
the ,department ,the term acquisition   
workforce of the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs means personnel of   
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
occupying positions within the #aajb    
occupational series as defined by the   
,director of the ,office of ,personnel  
,management4  7#b7 ,appropriate         
committees of ,congress ,the term       

appropriate committees of ,congress     
means the ,committee on ,veterans'      
,affairs of the ,senate and the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,house of ,representatives4