H.R. 4768: Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2004-07-07 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Received in the Senate.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2004-07-07 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Simmons, Rob [R-CT-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004

Plain summary

Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004 - Title I: Medical Facilities Management - (Sec. 101) Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts for major medical facility leases at specified locations. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2005 for the Medical Care account, to cover such leases. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a lease for real property at the Fitzsimons Campus of the University of Colorado for a period of up to 75 years. (Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary to transfer Department of Veterans Affairs real property to another department or agency of the United States, to a State, or to any public or private entity, including Indian tribes. Terminates such authority seven years after the enactment of this Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund, which may be used for costs associated with: (1) current or future real property transfers under this Act; (2) the improvement of patient care facilities for veterans; and (3) the transfer, lease, or adaptive use of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Authorizes appropriations for the Fund. Terminates the nursing home revolving fund. Transfers unobligated balances to the Capital Asset Fund. (Sec. 103) Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans' committees, in each of 2005 through 2007, on historic properties administered or controlled by the Secretary. (Sec. 104) Authorizes the use of certain Department funds for the construction or relocation of surface parking lots incidental to construction or maintenance projects. (Sec. 105) Removes the congressional review requirement otherwise applicable to the obligation of funds for major medical facilities where funds have been authorized by law. (Se. 106) Specifies that the construction, alteration, repair, remodeling, or improvement of property under an enhanced-use lease is not subject to State or local land use laws unless otherwise provided by the Secretary. (Sec. 107) Amends the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act to extend through 2005 the authority for long-term care pilot programs established under such Act. Title II: Other Matters - (Sec. 201) Makes eligible for use of the Veterans' Canteen Service veterans enrolled in the Department's patient enrollment system. (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary, within 90 days after the enactment of this Act, to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merits of various proposed sites for designation as Department medical emergency preparedness centers. Requires the: (1) Secretary to solicit proposals for such designation within 60 days after enactment of this Act; and (2) peer review panel to complete proposal review within 60 days thereafter. Authorizes appropriations for such centers for FY 2005 through 2007. Requires the Under Secretary for Health to allocate certain other Department funds for such centers.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Simmons, Rob [R-CT-2] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4768, Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004 (2004-08-26); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4768, Veterans Health Programs and Facilities Enhancement Act of 2004 (2004-08-26)

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Michael R. Turner (R-OH)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108hr4768.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/hr>

Record fed-us-cong108-hr4768 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108