119-s2412

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2412 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2412

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to reform the requirements and 
 authorities of the Director of Construction and Facilities Management 
 of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to reform the acquisition, 
 procurement, logistics, leasing, and construction activities of the 
 Department, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 23, 2025

 Mr. Banks (for himself and Mr. Tuberville) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
 Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to reform the requirements and 
 authorities of the Director of Construction and Facilities Management 
 of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to reform the acquisition, 
 procurement, logistics, leasing, and construction activities of the 
 Department, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Veterans Affairs 
Acquisition Reform Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) The organization of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
 relating to construction and leasing activities does not comply 
 with the requirements of 

section 312A of title 38, United 
 States Code.

    (2) The Department lacks a consistent, cohesive, or 
 effective approach to manage its portfolio of real estate 
 assets and infrastructure and to carry out construction and 
 leasing.

    (3) The organization of the Department relating to 
 procurement and acquisition, generally, is redundant and 
 ineffective.

    (4) The Department's policies and operations relating to 
 procurement and acquisition, generally, are hampered by the 
 organization of the Department.

SEC. 3. REFORMING REQUIREMENTS AND AUTHORITIES OF DIRECTOR OF 
 CONSTRUCTION AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF 
 VETERANS AFFAIRS.

 

Section 312A of title 38, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a)

    (4) , by inserting ``, the Under 
 Secretary for Health, and the Chief Acquisition Officer'' after 
 ``Deputy Secretary''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
 ``
            (d) Supervision of Employees.--

    (1) All employees of the 
Department engaged in the following activities shall report to the 
Director of Construction and Facilities Management:
 ``
        (A) Planning, design, and construction of facilities and 
 infrastructure of the Department, including major medical 
 facility projects and minor medical facility projects.
 ``
        (B) Developing and updating short-range and long-range 
 strategic capital investment strategies and plans of the 
 Department.
 ``
            (C) Leasing of real property by the Department, including 
 short-term, long-term, major medical facility leases, and minor 
 medical facility leases.
 ``
            (D) Repair, maintenance, and operation of facilities of 
 the Department, including custodial services, building 
 management and administration, and maintenance of roads, 
 grounds, and infrastructure.
 ``
        (E) Procurement and acquisition of major medical facility 
 projects, minor medical facility projects, major medical 
 facility leases, minor medical facility leases, operation, 
 design, furnishing, and supplies and equipment.
 ``

    (2) In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) The term `major medical facility lease' has the 
 meaning given such term in 

section 8104

    (a)

    (3) of this title.
 ``
        (B) The term `major medical facility project' has the 
 meaning given such term in 

section 8104

    (a)

    (3) of this title.
 ``
            (C) The term `minor medical facility project' means a 
 project for the construction, alteration, or acquisition of a 
 medical facility that is not a major medical facility project.
 ``
            (D) 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 lease.''.

SEC. 4. CONSOLIDATION OF CONSTRUCTION AND LEASING ACTIVITIES OF 
 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--

    (1) consolidate the functions of the Veterans Benefits 
 Administration, the Veterans Health Administration, and the 
 National Cemetery Administration described in subsection
            (c) of 
 

section 312A of title 38, United States Code, under the 
 Director of Construction and Facilities Management;

    (2) consolidate the employees of the Veterans Benefits 
 Administration, the Veterans Health Administration, and the 
 National Cemetery Administration described in subsection
            (d) of 
 such section, as added by 

section 3, under the Director of 
 Construction and Facilities Management; and

    (3) as a component of the regional organizational structure 
 described in 

section 5

    (b) , establish a regional organizational 
 structure for the employees described in paragraph

    (2) reporting to the Director of Construction and Facilities 
 Management.

SEC. 5. CONSOLIDATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ACQUISITION, 
 PROCUREMENT, AND LOGISTICS.

    (a) Organizational Consolidation.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall organizationally consolidate under the Chief Acquisition Officer 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs (designated in accordance with 

section 1702 of title 41, United States Code) the functions of the 
Veterans Benefits Administration, the Veterans Health Administration, 
and the National Cemetery Administration relating to--

    (1) acquisition;

    (2) procurement and contracting;

    (3) logistics; and

    (4) the administration of chapter 81 of title 38, United 
 States Code.

    (b) Regional Organizational Structure.--

    (1) Establishment required.--The Secretary shall establish 
 a regional organizational structure for the employees 
 performing the functions described in subsection

    (a) reporting 
 to the Chief Acquisition Officer of the Department.

    (2) Requirements.--The regional organizational structure 
 established pursuant to paragraph

    (1) shall--
        (A) correspond in part or in whole to the 
 boundaries of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks 
 of the Veterans Health Administration;
        (B) may include overarching or constituent 
 organizational structures; and
            (C) may include dedicated offices for the Veterans 
 Benefits Administration or National Cemetery 
 Administration.

    (3) Regional directors.--
        (A) Regional directors of acquisition, logistics, 
 and construction.--
            (i) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure 
 that each region within the organizational 
 structure established pursuant to paragraph

    (1) is headed by a regional director of 
 acquisition, logistics, and construction 
 reporting to the Chief Acquisition Officer of 
 the Department responsible for supervising the 
 functions described in

    (a) .
            (ii) Career reserved positions.--Each 
 regional director described in clause
            (i) shall 
 be a career reserved position, as such term is 
 defined in 

section 3132

    (a) of title 5, United 
 States Code.
            (iii) Selection.--Regional directors 
 described in clause
            (i) may be selected from 
 among current employees of the Department 
 performing functions described in subsection

    (a) .
        (B) Regional directors of construction and 
 leasing.--The Secretary shall ensure that each region 
 within the organizational structure established 
 pursuant to paragraph

    (1) includes a regional director 
 of construction and leasing who--
            (i) reports to the regional director of 
 acquisition, logistics, and construction 
 heading the region pursuant to subparagraph
        (A) ; and
            (ii) is responsible for supervising the 
 employees for the region described in 

section 4

    (2) .
            (c) Relocation.--Subsection

    (a) shall not be construed to require 
the physical relocation of employees of the Department.

SEC. 6. IMPROVEMENTS TO HIRING OF ENTRY-LEVEL ACQUISITION POSITIONS IN 
 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) 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 Affairs.

    (b) Annual Number of Participants in Acquisition Internship 
Programs.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than September 30 of the first 
 fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this 
 Act, 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--
        (A) not fewer than twice the number of participants 
 in such programs during fiscal year 2025; and
        (B) not more than 4 times the number of 
 participants in such programs during such fiscal year.

    (2) Termination.--The requirements of paragraph

    (1) 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 acquisition, taking into account the rate of attrition and 
 projected retirements of personnel.

    (3) Definition of appropriate committees of congress.--In 
 this subsection, 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 
 Representatives.

SEC. 7. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Report on Use of Additional Authorities Relating to Recruitment 
and Retention of Personnel.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, 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 706 of title 38, 
United States Code, to increase the size and performance of the 
acquisition workforce of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    (b) Report on Consolidation Activities.--Not later than 390 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to the appropriate committees of Congress a report detailing how 
sections 4 and 5 were implemented.
            (c) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) 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 1102 occupational series as defined by the 
 Director of the Office of Personnel Management.

    (2) 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 Representatives.
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