PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 20, 2016
Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 or the CHIP IN for Vets Act of 2016
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a pilot program under which it may accept up to five donations from specified non-federal entities of: (1) real property that includes a constructed facility or that is to be used as the site of a facility constructed by the entity, and (2) a facility to be constructed by the entity on real property of the VA.
The VA may accept such a donation only if the property is: (1) a property for which funds have been appropriated for a VA facility project, or (2) identified both as meeting a VA need as part of its long-range capital planning process and as the location for a VA facility project that is included on the Strategic Capital Investment Planning process priority list in the most recent budget submitted by the President. Also, the entity must agree to:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
independently donate the real property, improvements, goods, or services for the VA facility project in an amount acceptable to the VA and at no additional cost to the federal government;
conduct all necessary environmental and historic preservation due diligence;
comply with all local zoning requirements (except for federally required studies and consultations);
obtain all permits required in connection with the construction of the facility;
use construction standards required of the VA when designing and building the facility; and
provide the real property, improvements, goods, or services in a manner sufficient to complete the construction of the facility, at no additional cost to the federal government.
The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress, at least biennially, on the donation arrangements entered into under the pilot program.
The VA's authority to accept donations under the program shall terminate five years after the date of this bill's enactment.
People & committees
Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] · R–NE
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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