Congress Passes AGC-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. The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, 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 $1.7 billion to complete, $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 AGC sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to pass a short-term extension of funding for the project. AGC 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. AGC met with VA Secretary Robert McDonald last month to discuss AGC’s concerns with the agency’s construction program. The association will meet with the secretary again in June. AGC has called for significant, long-term reforms 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. Return to Top