House passes bill with Brown Co. lease provision [Green Bay Press-Gazette]
Measure would allow VA to get space quicker for larger area clinic
By Ellyn Ferguson
WASHINGTON -The House cleared legislation Tuesday night that would allow the Veterans Affairs Department to move more quickly to lease space for a larger medical clinic in Brown County.
On a 416-0 vote, the House sent to the Senate the bill, which authorizes money for the 2009 fiscal year for all of the VA’s construction and leasing of medical facilities.
Included in the bill is a provision to accelerate the timetable for the VA to rent a bigger space to replace the Green Bay Veterans Affairs clinic.
The bill would authorize but not guarantee $5.8 million to rent a 70,000 square-foot building to provide a broader array of medical services to an expected 15,000 patients.
About 2,500 patients are treated at the current 12,000 square-foot clinic.
The original timetable for authorizing money for a larger clinic was fiscal year 2010.
Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, worked with VA officials to move up the time frame by a year.
Kagen, an allergist who worked six years at VA facilities, said the overall bill is “a major step in developing the infrastructure” of veterans medical facilities across the country.
