2015
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 15-1020
       
       BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Windholz and Priola, Arndt, Becker J.,
       Brown, Carver, Conti, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso, Duran,
       Esgar, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hamner, Humphrey, Joshi,
       Kagan, Keyser, Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence,
       Lebsock, Lontine, Lundeen, McCann, Mitsch Bush, Moreno,
       Navarro, Nordberg, Pettersen, Primavera, Rankin, Ransom, Roupe,
       Salazar, Singer, Tate, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett,
       Williams, Wilson, Winter, Young, Hullinghorst;
       also SENATOR(S) Todd, Aguilar, Balmer, Baumgardner, Carroll,
       Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath,
       Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr,
       Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville
       T., Newell, Roberts, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Ulibarri,
       Woods, Cadman.
       
          CONCERNING THE AUTHORIZATION AND
       APPROPRIATION OF SUFFICIENT MONEYS TO PROMPTLY
       COMPLETE THE NEW VETERANS HOSPITAL ON THE
       FORMER FITZSIMONS ARMY MEDICAL CENTER SITE IN
       AURORA, COLORADO. 
       
          WHEREAS, The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system is
       divided into 21 regional health care networks known as Veterans
       Integrated Service Networks (VISN), of which VISN 19 is responsible for
       the care of approximately 700,000 veterans in Colorado, Montana,
       Wyoming, Utah, and portions of Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, and
       North Dakota; and
       
          
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, Taking into account veterans' family members, who often
       bear the greatest burden of decreased veteran health care services, over
       two million people in the VISN 19 region are directly affected by the
       outcomes of veteran health care policy; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission
       designated the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center for closure; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1999, the University of Colorado Medical School and
       Hospital commenced their relocation from Denver to the Fitzsimons
       location in Aurora; and
       
          WHEREAS, The VHA determined that the best course of action to
       ensure quality care for the region's veterans was to continue to share a
       campus with the University of Colorado Medical School and Hospital,
       and, in 2004, the decision was made to construct a standalone VA
       hospital on the Fitzsimons site; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 2008, the United States Congress authorized the
       construction of a new VHA hospital at Fitzsimons at a cost not to exceed
       $568.4 million; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 2010, as the design for the new hospital as well as
       negotiations for a contractor to build the facility continued, the United
       States Congress increased the amount authorized for the construction of
       the hospital to $800 million; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 2012, full-scale construction activity commenced for
       the new VHA hospital; and
       
          WHEREAS, Soon after construction began, significant complications
       and controversy arose between the VHA and the contractor regarding the
       cost and delivery schedule for the new hospital, ultimately leading to
       litigation before the United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals
       (the Board); and
       
          
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, In December 2014, the Board released its decision,
       finding on all counts in favor of the contractor, and, in particular, found
       that not only had the VHA materially breached the contract but that it did
       not have readily available sufficient funds to pay for completion of the
       project based upon the current design; and
       
          WHEREAS, In addition, the Board stated that the contractor had the
       right to stop work until the VHA compensated the contractor for past
       work outside the original contract scope that it had completed as well as
       agreed to fund ongoing contractor work while a new contract at a more
       realistic cost was negotiated, funded, and signed; and
       
          WHEREAS, Immediately upon receipt of the Board's decision, the
       contractor ceased work on the new VHA hospital, sending 1,400
       construction workers home just before the Christmas holiday since it no
       longer had a contract with the VHA; and
       
          WHEREAS, The new estimate for the completion of the VHA
       hospital developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is $1.73 billion,
       and the new completion date is now 2018 or later; and
       
          WHEREAS, While this construction project lags far behind its
       completion deadline and has constantly and massively exceeded past cost
       estimates, none of this is the fault of the veterans in the Rocky Mountain
       region and throughout Colorado who rely upon the VHA for their medical
       care and continue to receive services in the ever-aging and inadequate
       existing facility in Denver; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventieth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
          That we, the Colorado General Assembly, hereby:
       
          (1)  Urge the President of the United States, the Veterans Health
       Administration, and the United States Congress to work together to
       ensure the authorization and appropriation of sufficient funds to complete 
       
       
       
       
       
       the new VHA hospital on the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center
       site and to do so in a timely manner to prevent another shut down of
       construction as such shut downs are expensive and further delay the
       availability of this much-needed facility for our state's veterans; and
       
          (2)  Recommend that Congress enact appropriate reforms to ensure
       that future problems and delays do not occur on this project.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       President Barack H. Obama; Governor John Hickenlooper; Robert A.
       McDonald, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; Major
       General H. Michael Edwards, Adjutant General of Colorado; Ralph T.
       Gigliotti, Director of VISN 19; Steven A. Rylant, President of the United
       Veterans Committee of Colorado; the members of Colorado's
       Congressional delegation; Senator Johnny Isakson, Chairman of the
       Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs; Senator Richard Blumenthal,
       Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs;
       Congressman Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans
       Affairs; Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Ranking Member of the House
       Committee on Veterans Affairs; Congressman Hal Rogers, Chairman of
       the House Appropriations Committee; Congresswoman Nita Lowey,
       Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee; Senator Thad
       Cochran, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Senator
       Barbara Mikulski, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations
       Committee.
       
       
       _________________________________________________________
       Dickey Lee Hullinghorst               Bill L. Cadman
       SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                    PRESIDENT OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Marilyn Eddins                     Cindi L. Markwell
       CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                SECRETARY OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE