Faster Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Banks, Jim [R-IN]
Introduced
Summary
Uses commercial construction codes and standards for Department of Veterans Affairs facility construction and alteration where those codes do not conflict with federal law. The law directs the VA to test that approach through a multi-year pilot and to report results to Congress.
Show full summary
- Veterans and VA facilities: VA projects can be built or altered under widely used commercial building rules rather than only agency-specific federal codes, changing which technical standards apply to care sites.
- Contractors, architects, and engineers: Firms working on VA projects will apply commercial codes such as the National Fire Protection Association and International Code Council standards when allowed, which may change design and compliance practices.
- Congressional oversight and learning: The VA must run at least three pilot projects per fiscal year from 2027 through 2031 and send annual reports within 90 days after each fiscal year describing each pilot and how the authority was used.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
VA may use commercial building codes
This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use commercial building codes and standards when building or altering VA facilities, so long as they do not conflict with statutory or regulatory requirements. The bill would require at least three pilot projects each fiscal year in 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031 using commercial codes for major construction, minor construction, or major lease projects. The bill would also require the Secretary to report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees within 90 days after the end of each of those fiscal years on use of the authority and on each pilot project. The bill defines commercial codes to include NFPA, ICC, ASTM, ASCE, and other non-federal codes the Secretary determines, and it distinguishes those from Federal and Department-specific codes.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 4/16/2026
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 4/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov