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