Calendar No. 892
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Calendar No. 892 110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! 2d Session SENATE 110–428 MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATION BILL, 2009 JULY 22, 2008.—Ordered to be printed Mr. JOHNSON, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 3301] The Committee on Appropriations reports the bill (S. 3301) mak- ing appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes, reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass. Amounts in new budget authority Total of bill as reported to the Senate .................... $119,742,925,000 Amount of 2008 appropriations 1 ............................. 108,391,250,000 Amount of 2009 budget estimate ............................ 115,344,081,000 Bill as recommended to Senate compared to— Amount of 2008 appropriations 1 ..................... ∂11,351,675,000 Amount of 2009 budget estimate ..................... ∂4,398,844,000 1 Excludes $4,761,684,000 in emergency supplemental funding provided in Public Law 110–252. 43–609 PDF CONTENTS Page Background: Purpose of the Bill ............................................................................................ 4 Comparative Statement ................................................................................... 4 Committee Recommendation ........................................................................... 4 Overview and Summary of the Bill ................................................................. 4 Military Construction: Investing in Infrastructure for our Troops and Their Families ............................................................................................... 5 Department of Veterans Affairs: Keeping the Nation’s Commitment to America’s Veterans ....................................................................................... 6 Title I: Military Construction: Items of Special Interest: Hearings .............................................................................................. 8 Summary of Committee Recommendations ..................................... 8 Reprogramming Guidelines ............................................................... 8 Real Property Maintenance ............................................................... 9 Global Defense Posture ...................................................................... 9 Military Construction, Army .................................................................... 12 Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps ..................................... 13 Military Construction, Air Force .............................................................. 14 Military Construction, Defense-Wide ...................................................... 15 Military Construction, Reserve Components .......................................... 17 North Atlantic Treaty Organization ........................................................ 19 Family Housing Overview ........................................................................ 20 Family Housing Construction, Army ....................................................... 20 Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Army ............................. 21 Family Housing Construction, Navy and Marine Corps ........................ 21 Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Navy and Marine Corps ....................................................................................................... 23 Family Housing Construction, Air Force ................................................. 23 Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Air Force ....................... 24 Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide ................ 25 Family Housing Improvement Fund ........................................................ 25 Homeowners Assistance Fund .................................................................. 25 Chemical Demilitarization Construction, Defense-Wide ........................ 26 Base Closure Account 1990 ...................................................................... 26 Base Closure Account 2005 ...................................................................... 27 Administrative Provisions ........................................................................ 36 Title II: Department of Veterans Affairs ...................................................................... 38 Items of Special Interest: Hearings .............................................................................................. 38 Summary of Committee Recommendation ....................................... 38 Department Overview ........................................................................ 38 Veterans Benefits Administration ........................................................... 41 Compensation and Pensions .............................................................. 42 Readjustment Benefits ....................................................................... 43 Veterans Insurance and Indemnities ............................................... 43 Veterans Housing Benefit Program Fund ........................................ 44 Vocational Rehabilitation Loans Program Account ......................... 44 Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program Account ........... 45 Veterans Health Administration: Medical Services ................................................................................. 48 Medical Facilities ............................................................................... 54 (2) 3 Page Title II—Continued Department of Veterans Affairs—Continued Veterans Health Administration—Continued Medical and Prosthetic Research ...................................................... 56 Medical Care Cost Recovery Collections .......................................... 58 Medical Care Collection Fund—Revenues Applied ......................... 58 National Cemetery Administration .......................................................... 59 Departmental Administration .................................................................. 60 General Operating Expenses ............................................................. 60 Office of the Inspector General ......................................................... 61 Construction, Major Projects ............................................................. 62 Construction, Minor Projects ............................................................. 64 Grants for Construction of State Extended Care Facilities ............ 65 Grants for Construction of State Veterans Cemeteries .................. 66 Information Technology Systems ...................................................... 67 Administrative Provisions ................................................................. 70 Title III: Related Agencies: American Battle Monuments Commission: Salaries and Expenses ....................................................................... 73 Foreign Currency Fluctuations ......................................................... 73 U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims: Salaries and Expenses .... 74 Department of Defense—Civil: Cemeterial Expenses, Army: Salaries and Expenses ......................................................................................... 75 Armed Forces Retirement Home .............................................................. 75 Title IV: General Provisions ................................................................................... 76 Compliance With Paragraph 7, Rule XVI, of the Standing Rules of the Sen- ate .......................................................................................................................... 77 Compliance With Paragraph 7(c), Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate ................................................................................................................... 78 Compliance With Paragraph 12, Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate ................................................................................................................... 78 Budgetary Impact of Bill ......................................................................................... 80 Military Construction Project Listing by Location ................................................ 81 Disclosure of Congressionally Directed Spending Items ...................................... 103 BACKGROUND PURPOSE OF THE BILL The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agen- cies appropriations bill provides necessary funding for the plan- ning, design, construction, alteration, and improvement of military facilities worldwide, for both active and reserve forces. It also fi- nances the cost of military family housing and the U.S. share of the NATO Security Investment Program. In addition, the bill provides funding to implement base closures and realignments authorized by law. The bill provides resources to the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans benefits and health care. The bill also provides funding for U.S. cemeteries and battlefield monuments both in the United States and abroad; U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; and Armed Forces Retirement Homes. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT The Committee recommends appropriations totaling $119,817,525,000 and rescissions totaling $74,600,000 for fiscal year 2009 military construction, family housing, base closure, vet- erans health care and benefits, as well as related agencies. The table