S.Amdt. 2985

SA 2985. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed by her to the bill H.R. 3944, making appropriations for
military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in title II, insert the following:

SEC. ___. PROHIBITION ON PRIVATIZATION OF VETERANS HEALTH
CARE.

(a) Prohibition.--None of the funds made available in this
title may be used to privatize, outsource, or transfer
ownership or control of any health care facility or service
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to a non-Department
entity.
(b) Scope.--The prohibition under subsection (a) includes--
(1) the permanent closure or downsizing of medical
facilities of the Department that results in the redirection
of care to non-Department providers; and
(2) the use of limited staffing levels of the Department as
justification for increased reliance on non-Department care.
(c) Privatize Defined.--In this section, the term
``privatize'' includes any action that reduces the
availability or scope of direct care provided by personnel of
the Department in facilities owned and operated by the
Department in favor of community care or private contracting,
except in cases where clinical access standards require it.
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