CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2026

[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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