Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2006
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2006 - (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a major medical facility project (project) for restoration of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Biloxi, Mississippi.
(Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with: (1) Louisiana State University to design, construct, and operate a joint-use medical facility in or near New Orleans, Louisiana, to replace the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005; and (2) the Medical University of South Carolina to design, construct, and operate a joint-use medical facility in Charleston, South Carolina, to replace the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston.
(Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement to purchase a site for the replacement of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, Colorado. Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans' committees on options available for the replacement facility.
(Sec. 6) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified projects in connection with the Capital Asset Realignment Initiative (Initiative) in Alaska, California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified major medical facility leases in: (1) FY2006 in Indiana, Maryland, and Texas; and (2) FY2007 in Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas.
(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for: (1) FY2006 projects; (2) projects under the Initiative; and (3) major medical facility leases.
(Sec. 9) Expresses the sense of Congress recognizing the need for veterans' medical facility improvements in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Requires a report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on options available for replacing the current Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Juan.
(Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary to convey to the city of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, a portion of Tower Park in Fort Thomas.
The summary continues for 2 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on September 13, 2006. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 14, 2006: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
HENRY BROWN (R-SC) introduced it on July 17, 2006, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 17, 2006, 7360 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7301 days ago, on September 14, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers