S. 4815

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4815 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4815

To permanently extend the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs on acceptance by the Department of donated facilities and 
related improvements and to authorize acceptance of donations of 
construction services, minor construction or nonrecurring maintenance 
projects, and targeted contributions, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 17, 2026

Mrs. Fischer (for herself and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To permanently extend the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs on acceptance by the Department of donated facilities and 
related improvements and to authorize acceptance of donations of 
construction services, minor construction or nonrecurring maintenance 
projects, and targeted contributions, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Communities Helping Invest through 
Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2026'' or the 
``CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON ACCEPTANCE BY THE 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF DONATED FACILITIES AND 
RELATED IMPROVEMENTS.

(a) In General.--Section 2 of the Communities Helping Invest 
through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 
(Public Law 114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``pilot'';
(2) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, by 
striking ``Pilot'';
(3) by striking ``pilot'' each place it appears;
(4) by striking subsection (i); and
(5) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (i).
(b) Modification of Acceptance of Property.--Paragraph (1) of 
subsection (b) of such section is amended to read as follows:
``(1) the donation aligns with--
``(A) a need identified in a Strategic Capital 
Investment Planning process priority list, a five-year 
development plan, a facility master plan, or an annual 
capital needs inventory of the Department; or
``(B) any component or phase of a need described in 
paragraph (1); and''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATIONS OF CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, MINOR 
CONSTRUCTION OR NONRECURRING MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, AND 
TARGETED CONTRIBUTIONS.

(a) Authority.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs may accept donations comprising the total 
cost or a portion of the cost of--
(1) minor construction projects;
(2) nonrecurring maintenance projects; or
(3) construction services relating--
(A) to minor construction projects;
(B) to nonrecurring maintenance projects;
(C) to an existing facility of the Department; or
(D) to a new facility or portion thereof of the 
Department.
(b) Alignment to Needs.--The Secretary may accept a donation under 
this section only if--
(1) the donation aligns with--
(A) a need identified in a Strategic Capital 
Investment Planning process priority list, a five-year 
development plan, a facility master plan, or an annual 
capital needs inventory of the Department; or
(B) any component or phase of a need described in 
subparagraph (A);
(2) the donation is from an entity described in section 
2(a)(2) of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and 
Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-
294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note);
(3) the Secretary determines such donation would--
(A) accelerate project completion;
(B) reduce the expense to the Department;
(C) improve facility condition; or
(D) otherwise benefit veterans; and
(4) the donor enters into a formal agreement with the 
Secretary that includes--
(A) provisions for the Department's oversight 
during performance;
(B) compliance with applicable construction codes 
and standards, and applicable laws and regulations;
(C) donor-provided insurance, warranties, and 
liability protections;
(D) the amount of the donation and the amount of 
the Department's funding contribution, if any;
(E) that the donation shall not increase the cost 
to the Federal Government of completing such project 
described in subsection (a) (excluding activation and 
sustainment of such facility); and
(F) such other terms as the Secretary determines 
necessary.
(c) Streamlined Requirements.--For donations under this section 
that do not involve transfer of real property title--
(1) the donor shall enter into an agreement with the 
Department that determines who is responsible to ensure 
environmental or historic preservation due diligence is 
completed;
(2) the donor shall obtain all federally required 
construction and facility related permits; and
(3) agreements may be simplified relative to those under 
section 2 of the Communities Helping Invest through Property 
and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 
114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note) to reflect the nature of services 
or targeted contributions.
(d) Reporting.--The Secretary shall include information on 
donations accepted under this section in the reports required under 
section 2(g) of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and 
Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294; 38 
U.S.C. 8103 note), with separate tracking for donations under this 
section.
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