LIMITATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MISSION CHANGES FOR SPECIFIED VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION FACILITIES.

SEC. 414. LIMITATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MISSION CHANGES FOR SPECIFIED VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION FACILITIES.(a) Limitation.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not implement a mission change for a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs specified in subsection (c) until—(1) the Secretary submits to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a written notice of the mission change; and(2) the period prescribed by subsection (b) has elapsed.(b) Congressional Review Period.—(1) The period referred to in subsection (a)(2) is the period beginning on the date of the receipt of the notice under subsection (a)(1) by the committees specified in that subsection and ending on the later of—(A) the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date on which the notice is received by those committees; or(B) the end of a period of 30 days of continuous session of Congress beginning on the date on which the notification is received by those committees or, if either House of Congress is not in session on such date, the first day after such date that both Houses of Congress are in session.(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(B)—(A) the continuity of a session of Congress is broken only by an adjournment of Congress sine die; and118 STAT. 2392(B) any day on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day certain is excluded in the computation of any period of time in which Congress is in continuous session.(c) Specified Facilities.—A facility referred to in subsection (a) as being specified in this subsection is any of the following facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs:(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts.(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in New York City, New York.(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Big Spring, Texas.(4) The Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dublin, Georgia.(5) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Montgomery, Alabama.(6) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Louisville, Kentucky.(7) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and the outpatient clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.(8) The John J. Pershing Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, Missouri.(9) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.(10) The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Waco, Texas.(11) The Jonathan M. Wainwright Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington.(d) Covered Mission Changes.—For purposes of this section, a mission change for a medical facility shall consist of any of the following:(1) Closure of the facility.(2) Consolidation of the facility.(3) An administrative reorganization of the facility covered by section 510(b) of title 38, United States Code.(e) Required Content of Notice of Mission Change.—Written notice of a mission change for a medical facility under subsection (a) shall include the following:(1) An assessment of the effect of the mission change on the population of veterans served by the facility.(2) A description of the availability and quality of health care, including long-term care, mental health care, and substance abuse programs, available in the area served by the facility.(3) An assessment of the effect of the mission change on the economy of the community in which the facility is located.(4) An analysis of any alternatives to the mission change proposed by—(A) the community in which the facility is located;(B) organizations recognized by the Secretary under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code;(C) organizations that represent Department employees in such community; or(D) the Department.118 STAT. 2393(f) Medical Facility Consolidation.—For the purposes of subsection (d)(2), the term “consolidation” means an action that closes one or more medical facilities within a geographic service area for the purpose of relocating those activities to another medical facility or facilities.(g) Coordination of Provisions.—In the case of a mission change covered by subsection (a) that is also an administrative reorganization covered by section 510(b) of title 38, United States Code, both this section and such section 510(b) shall apply with respect to the implementation of that mission change.