Congress Passes Â鶹ÊÓƵ-Backed Measure to Allow Construction to Continue
Late last week, the House and Senate passed legislation to allow work on the Department of Veterans Affairs Denver Hospital Project to continue for several more weeks. , introduced by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), increases funding for the project by $100 million. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently found that the project will cost about , $1.1 billion more than the initial cost estimate. The project was slated to run out of funds on May 24.
The temporary extension passed the House shortly after Â鶹ÊÓƵ to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to pass a short-term extension of funding for the project. Â鶹ÊÓƵ also worked to address concerns with the extension in the Senate, as several senators had put a hold on the legislation that jeopardized its passage. Â鶹ÊÓƵ met with VA Secretary Robert McDonald last month to discuss Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s concerns with the agency’s construction program. The association will meet with the secretary again in June. Â鶹ÊÓƵ has called for of the VA construction program and continues to meet with members of Congress on this important issue.
For more information, please contact Jimmy Christianson at 703-837-5325 orchristiansonj@agc.org.