§ 8109 — Parking Facilities

(a) For the purpose of this section— (1) The term “garage” means a structure (or part of a structure) in which vehicles may be parked. (2) The term “parking facility” includes— (A) a surface parking lot; and (B) a garage. (3) The term “eligible person” means an individual to whom the Secretary is authorized to furnish medical examination or treatment. (b) In order to accommodate the vehicles of employees of medical facilities, vehicles used to transport veterans and eligible persons to or from such facilities for the purpose of examination or treatment, and the vehicles of visitors and other individuals having business at such facilities, the Secretary— (1) may construct or alter parking facilities, and may acquire, by purchase, lease, condemnation, donation, exchange, or otherwise, such land or interests in land as the Secretary considers necessary for use as the site for any such construction or alteration; (2) may acquire, by purchase, lease, condemnation, donation, exchange, or otherwise, any facility that the Secretary considers necessary for use as a parking facility; (3) may operate and maintain parking facilities; and (4) notwithstanding subsection (a) of section 1344 of title 31, may use a passenger carrier (as such term is defined in subsection (h)(1) of such section) to transport such an employee between a parking facility and the medical facility of the Department at which the employee works. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, each employee, visitor, and other individual having business at a medical facility for which parking fees have been established under subsection (d) or (e) of this section shall be charged the applicable parking fee for the use of a parking facility at such medical facility. (2) A parking fee shall not be charged under this subsection for the accommodation of any vehicle used to transport to or from a medical facility— (A) a veteran or eligible person in connection with such veteran or eligible person seeking examination or treatment; or (B) a volunteer worker (as determined in accordance with regulations which the Secretary shall prescribe) in connection with such worker performing services for the benefit of veterans receiving care at a medical facility. (3) The Secretary shall collect (or provide for the collection of) parking fees charged under this subsection. (1) For each medical facility where funds from the revolving fund described in subsection (h) of this section are expended for— (A) a garage constructed or acquired by the Department at a cost exceeding $500,000 (or, in the case of acquisition by lease, $100,000 per year); or (B) a project for the alteration of a garage at a cost exceeding $500,000, (2) The parking fee schedule prescribed for a medical facility referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be designed to establish fees which the Secretary determines are reasonable under the circumstances. (e) The Secretary may prescribe a schedule of parking fees for the parking facilities at any medical facility not referred to in subsection (d) of this section. Any such schedule shall be designed to establish fees which the Secretary determines to be reasonable under the circumstances and shall cover all parking facilities used in connection with such medical facility. (f) The Secretary may contract (by lease or otherwise) for the operation of parking facilities at medical facilities under such terms and conditions as the Secretary prescribes and may do so without regard to laws requiring full and open competition. (g) Subject to subsections (h) and (i) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such amounts as are necessary to finance (in whole or in part) the construction, alteration, and acquisition (including site acquisition) of parking facilities at medical facilities. (1) Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (g) of this section and parking fees collected under subsection (c) of this section shall be administered as a revolving fund and shall be available without fiscal year limitation. (2) The revolving fund shall be deposited in a checking account with the Treasurer of the United States. (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, no funds other than funds from the revolving fund may be expended for the construction, alteration, or acquisition (including site acquisition) of a garage at a medical facility after September 30, 1986. (B) Subparagraph (A) of this paragraph does not apply to the use of funds for investigations and studies, surveys, designs, plans, construction documents, specifications, and similar actions not directly involved in the physical construction of a structure. (1) The expenditure of funds from the revolving fund may be made only for the construction, alteration, and acquisition (including site acquisition) of parking facilities at medical facilities and may be made only as provided for in appropriation Acts. (2) For the purpose of section 8104(a)(2) of this title, a bill, resolution, or amendment which provides that funds in the revolving fund (including any funds proposed in such bill, resolution, or amendment to be appropriated to the revolving fund) may be expended for a project involving a total expenditure of more than $4,000,000 for the construction, alteration, or acquisition (including site acquisition) of a parking facility or facilities at a medical facility shall be considered to be a bill, resolution, or amendment making an appropriation which may be expended for a major medical facility project. (j) Funds in a construction account or capital account that are available for a construction project or a nonrecurring maintenance project may be used for the construction or relocation of a surface parking lot incidental to that project.