Bill > HR2216

This bill, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2014, outlines specific restrictions and allocations for federal spending. It prohibits the use of funds for certain activities, such as exercising eminent domain without just compensation, paying for first-class travel that violates federal rules, or constructing facilities in the U.S. to house individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The bill also restricts contracts with corporations convicted of felonies within the past two years or those with unpaid federal tax liabilities. Furthermore, it limits the use of funds for senior VA officials' salaries if disability compensation claims are significantly backlogged, and prohibits funds for excessively expensive conferences, performance awards for career VA appointees, or contracts with entities convicted of fraud or antitrust violations, or those with significant delinquent federal taxes. The bill also prevents funds from being used for new base realignment and closure rounds, for contracts where fewer than two offers were received by the Department of Defense (DOD) for contracts over $1 million, for exceeding specified limits on under-construction major medical facility projects, or for acquiring new light-duty vehicles outside of presidential memorandum guidelines, and prohibits maintaining or improving DOD real property with zero utilization unless for historic preservation or environmental protection. The bill also details appropriations for various Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs, including compensation and pensions, readjustment benefits, insurance, housing benefits, and healthcare services, and includes provisions for the National Cemetery Administration and departmental administration. It also specifies funding for related agencies like the American Battle Monuments Commission and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and includes general provisions governing the use of appropriated funds, reporting requirements, and limitations on certain expenditures.