S.Amdt. 2668

SA 2668. Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Brown, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Salazar, and Mr. Johnson) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2642, making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 46, between lines 2 and 3, insert the following:

Sec. 227. (a) Additional Amount for Medical Services.--The amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this title under the heading “medical services” is hereby increased by $125,000,000.

(b) Availability.--(1) Of the amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this title under the heading “medical services”, as increased by subsection (a), $125,000,000 shall be available for the Veterans Beneficiary Travel Program to use the mileage reimbursement rate prescribed by the Administrator of General Services under section 5707(b) of title 5, United States Code, for the use of privately owned vehicles by Government employees on official business (when a Government vehicle is available), without adjusting the deductible established under section 111(c)(1) of title 38, United States Code.

(2) The amount available for the Veterans Beneficiary Travel Program under this subsection is in addition to any other amounts available for that program under this title.

(c) Offset.--The amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this title for the Veterans Health Administration under the heading “medical administration” is hereby decreased by $125,000,000.