[Pages S10384-S10386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

SA 1850. Mr. COBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. . Any limitation, directive, or earmarking contained
in either the House of Representatives or Senate report
accompanying H.R. 2528 shall also be included in the
conference report or joint statement accompanying H.R. 2528
in order to be considered as having been approved by both
Houses of Congress.
______

SA 1851. Mr. DeWINE (for himself and Mr. Voinovich) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act
making appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs,
and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. The amount appropriated by this title under the
heading ``Military Construction, Air Force'' is hereby
increased by $12,950,000, with the amount of such increase to
be available for the construction of an academic building at
the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Ohio.
______

SA 1852. Mr. AKAKA (for himself and Mr. Schumer) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act
making appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs,
and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and
for other purposes; as follows:

On page 76, line 22, strike ``$23,308,011,000'' and insert
``$23,318,011,000''.
On page 77, line 1, insert ``$109,000,000 shall be
available for the Readjustment Counseling Service: Provided
further, That'' after ``this heading,''.
On page 78, line 22, strike ``$1,456,821,000'' and insert
``$1,446,821,000''.
On page 79, line 7, strike ``$100,000,000'' and insert
``$90,000,000''.
______

SA 1853. Mr. AKAKA submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 76, lines 22 and 23, strike ``$23,308,011,000, plus
reimbursements, of which $1,977,000,000'' and insert
``$23,318,011,000, plus reimbursements, of which
$1,987,000,000''.
On page 77, line 1, insert ``$109,000,000 shall be
available for the Readjustment Counseling Service: Provided
further, That'' after ``this heading,''.
______

SA 1854. Ms. LANDRIEU submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. The amount appropriated by this title under the
heading ``Military Construction, Army'' is hereby increased
by $4,299,000, with the amount of such increase to be made
available for demolition of World War II era wooden buildings
at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
______

SA 1855. Ms. LANDRIEU submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. The amount appropriated by this title under the
heading ``Military Construction, Army'' is hereby increased
by $15,000,000, with the amount of such increase to be made
available to replace World War II era mobilization and
demobilization buildings at the north fort of Fort Polk,
Louisiana, with portable temporary modular building
structures.
______

SA 1856. Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Florida)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R.
2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on
the table; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. Of the amount appropriated by this title under
the heading ``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps''
and available for architectural and engineering services and
construction design, $500,000 shall be made available for the
design of wharf upgrades at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
______

SA 1857. Mr. JEFFORDS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:

SEC. 222. CLINICAL TRAINING AND PROTOCOLS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Iraq War Clinician Guide has tremendous value; and
(2) the Secretary of Defense and the National Center on
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should continue to work
together to ensure that the mental health care needs of
servicemembers and veterans are met.
(b) Collaboration.--The National Center on Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder shall collaborate with the Secretary of
Defense--
(1) to enhance the clinical skills of military clinicians
through training, treatment protocols, web-based
interventions, and the development of evidence-based
interventions; and
(2) to promote pre-deployment resilience and post-
deployment readjustment among servicemembers serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
(c) Training.--The National Center on Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder shall work with the Secretary of Defense to ensure
that clinicians in the Department of Defense are provided
with the training and protocols developed pursuant to
subsection (b)(1).
______

SA 1858. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Coburn) proposed an amendment to the
bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. __. Any limitation, directive, or earmarking contained
in either the House of Representatives or Senate report
accompanying H.R. 2528 shall also be included in the
conference report or joint statement accompanying H.R. 2528
in order to be considered as having been approved by both
Houses of Congress.
______

SA 1859. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Carper) proposed an amendment to the
bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:

[[Page S10385]]

Sec. 130. Of the amount appropriated by this title under
the heading ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'' and
available for planning and design, $1,440,000 shall be
available for planning and design for a replacement C-130
maintenance hangar at Air National Guard New Castle County
Airport, Delaware.
______

SA 1860. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mrs. Boxer) proposed an amendment to the
bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:

SEC. 222. REPORT ON HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO LOW-INCOME
VETERANS.

(a) In General.--The Comptroller General shall conduct a
study on housing assistance to low-income veterans,
including--
(1) an estimate of the number of low-income, very low-
income, and extremely low-income veteran households;
(2) a description of the demographic and socioeconomic
characteristics and health and disability status of such
households;
(3) an estimate of the number of such households
experiencing a high cost burden in, overcrowding in, or poor
quality of housing, or experiencing homelessness;
(4) an assessment of such households, including their
current barriers to safe, quality, and affordable housing and
levels of homelessness among such households;
(5) the extent to which Federal housing assistance programs
provide benefits, including supportive services, to all
veteran households and in particular to low-income, very low-
income, and extremely-low income veteran households;
(6) the number of units designated for or occupied by
veterans and low-income, very low-income, and extremely low-
income veterans in Federally subsidized or insured housing;
(7) a summary description of the manner in which veteran
compensation, veteran dependency and indemnity compensation,
and veteran pension are considered as income or adjusted
income for purposes of determining--
(A) eligibility for Federal housing assistance programs;
and
(B) the amount of rent paid by a veteran household for
occupancy of a dwelling unit or housing assisted under
Federal housing assistance programs;
(8) a summary description of the special considerations
made for veterans under--
(A) public housing plans submitted under section 5A of the
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1); and
(B) comprehensive housing affordability strategies
submitted under section 105 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12705);
(9) the extent to which public housing authorities have
established preferences for veterans for public housing and
housing choice vouchers;
(10) the number of homeless veterans provided assistance,
cumulatively and currently, under the program of housing
choice vouchers for homeless veterans under section 8(o)(19)
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42. U.S.C.
1437f(o)(19)), and the current status of the program,
including--
(A) the number of vouchers the Department of Housing and
Urban Development currently allocates to the Department of
Veterans Affairs;
(B) the monetary value of such vouchers; and
(C) the names and locations of VA medical centers receiving
such vouchers; and
(11) a description of activities relating to veterans of
the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(b) Acquisition of Supporting Information.--In carrying out
the study under this section, the Comptroller General shall
seek to obtain views from the following persons:
(1) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(2) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(3) Low-income, very low-income, and extremely low-income
veterans.
(4) Representatives of State and local housing assistance
agencies.
(5) Representatives of nonprofit low-income housing
providers and homeless service providers, including homeless
veteran service providers.
(6) National advocacy organizations concerned with
veterans, homelessness, and low-income housing.
(c) Timing of Report.--Not later than 6 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall
submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under this
section.
______

SA 1861. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Chambliss (for himself and Mr.
Isakson)) proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for
other purposes; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. (a) Of the amount appropriated by this title
under the heading ``Military Construction, Army'', $4,550,000
shall be made available for the construction of a military
police complex at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
(b) The amount appropriated by this title under the heading
``Military Construction, Army'' and available for Fort
Gillem, Georgia, is hereby decreased by $4,550,000.
______

SA 1862. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mrs. Feinstein) proposed an amendment to
the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. (a) The amount appropriated by this title under
the heading ``Department of Defense Base Closure Account
1990'' is hereby increased by $25,000,000.
(b) The amount appropriated by this title under the heading
``Department of Defense Base Closure Account 2005'' is hereby
decreased by $25,000,000.
______

SA 1863. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr.
Salazar)) proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for
other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:
Sec. 222.(a) Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
after consultation with the National Association of County
Veterans Service Officers, other veterans service
organizations, and State Departments of Veterans Affairs
shall submit a report to the committee on Appropriation of
the Senate that describes a plan (including estimated costs)
to provide an adequate supply of the 2006 edition of handbook
entitled, Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents, and
all subsequent editions, to all county veterans service
officers in the United States.
______

SA 1864. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mrs. Murray,
Mr. Obama, and Mr. Akaka)) proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 2528,
an act making appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans
Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:
Sec. 222. None of the funds made available in this Act or
any other Act may be used--
(1) to revoke or reduce a veteran's disability compensation
for post-traumatic stress disorder based on a finding that
the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to collect
justifying documentation unless such failure was the direct
result of fraud by the applicant; or
(2) for the implementation of Recommendation 3 of VA
Inspector General Report No. 05-00765-137 or any related
review and investigation of post-traumatic stress disorder
unemployability and 100 schedular percent ratings cases,
until the Department of Veteran's Affairs reports to the
Committee on Appropriations on its plan for implementing this
recommendation, and outlines the staffing and funding
requirements.
______

SA 1865. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mr. Obama))
proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for
other purposes; as follows:

On page 81, line 2, insert ``The VA shall conduct an
information campaign in States with an average annual
disability compensation payment of less than $7,300
(according to the report issued by the Department of Veterans
Affairs Office of Inspector General on May 19, 2005), to
inform all veterans receiving disability compensation, by
direct mail, of the history of below average disability
compensation payments to veterans in such States, and to
provide all veterans in each such State, through broadcast or
print advertising, with the aforementioned historical
information and instructions for submitting new claims and
requesting review of past disability claims and ratings:
Provided further,'' after ``Provided,''.
______

SA 1866. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Jeffords) proposed an amendment to
the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:

SEC. 222. CLINICAL TRAINING AND PROTOCOLS.

[[Page S10386]]

ensure that the mental health care needs of servicemembers
and veterans are met.
(b) Collaboration.--The National Center on Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder shall collaborate with the Secretary of
Defense--
(1) to enhance the clinical skills of military clinicians
through training, treatment protocols, web-based
interventions, and the development of evidence-based
interventions; and
(2) to promote pre-deployment resilience and post-
deployment readjustment among servicemembers serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
(c) Training.--The National Center on Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder shall work with the Secretary of Defense to ensure
that clinicians in the Department of Defense are provided
with the training and protocols developed pursuant to
subsection (b)(1).
______

SA 1867. Mrs. HUTCHISON (for Mr. Salazar) proposed an amendment to
the bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:
Sec. 222. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
immediately submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and
Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives
a report on any Department of Veterans Affairs budget
shortfall totaling 2 percent or more of the Department's
total discretionary funding budget for a fiscal year.
(b) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, not later than
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Appropriations of
the Senate and the House of Representatives a comprehensive
plan to improve long-term budget planning and actuarial
forecasting at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
______

SA 1868. Mr. CRAIG (for Mr. Salazar) (for himself and Mr. Bingaman))
proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for
other purposes; as follows:

On page 93, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following:
Sec. 222. (a) In conducting advanced planning activities
under this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
reevaluate Veterans Health Administration Handbook 1006.1 and
other guidance and procedures related to planning,
activating, staffing, and maintaining community-based
outpatient clinics.
(b) In conducting such planning, the Secretary shall--
(1) revise as appropriate existing policies to make them
less disadvantageous to rural veterans; and
(2) reexamine criteria used in planning, activating,
staffing, and maintaining such clinics, including geographic
access, number of Priority 1-6 veterans, market penetration,
cost effectiveness, and distance to parent facilities, to
determine whether such criteria are weighted in a manner that
negatively affects rural veterans.
______

SA 1869. Mr. THOMAS (for himself and Mr. Enzi) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2528, an act making
appropriations for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 72, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
Sec. 130. (a) The amount appropriated by this title under
the heading ``Military Construction, Air Force'' is hereby
increased by $10,000,000, with the amount of such increase to
be made available to carry out a storm water drainage system
project at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
(b) The amount appropriated by this title under the heading
``Military Construction, Army'' is hereby decreased by
$10,000,000, and not more than $30,000,000 of the total
amount appropriated under such heading may be made available
for the barracks complex in Grafenwoehr, Germany.
______

SA 1870. Mr. FRIST (for Mrs. Hutchison) proposed an amendment to the
bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 55, line 4, strike ``$191,393,000'' and insert
``$179,343,000''.
On page 55, line 10, following ``therefor'', strike ``.''
and insert ``: Provided further, That of the amount provided
for Military Construction, Army, $8,900,000 shall be
available for Phase 1a of a Permanent Party Barracks at Fort
Leonard Wood, Missouri, and $3,150,000 shall be available for
an Airfield Fire Station at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.''
______

SA 1871. Mr. FRIST (for Mrs. Hutchison) proposed an amendment to the
bill H.R. 2528, an act making appropriations for Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; as follows:

On page 56, line 11, strike ``$103,347,000'' and insert
``83,626,000''.
On page 56, line 17, following ``therefor'', strike ``.''
and insert ``: Provided further, That of the amount provided
for Military Construction, Air Force, $5,721,000 shall be
available for a B-2 Conventional Munitions Storage Facility
at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and $14,000,000 for
Phase 1 of Force Protection Enhancement at Vance Air Force
Base, Oklahoma.''

____________________