[House Report 108-574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
108th Congress Rept. 108-574
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session Part 1
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TO AUTHORIZE THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR VETERANS CLAIMS TO BE AT ANY LOCATION IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C.
METROPOLITAN AREA
_______
June 25, 2004.--Ordered to be printed.
_______
Mr. Smith of New Jersey, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 3936]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 3936) to amend title 38, United States Code, to
authorize the principal office of the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims to be at any location in the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, rather than only in the
District of Columbia, and expressing the sense of Congress that
a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center should be
provided for that Court and those it serves and should be
located, if feasible, at a site owned by the United States that
is part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.
Introduction
On March 11, 2004, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the
Veterans' Affairs Committee, Honorable Christopher H. Smith and
Honorable Lane Evans, along with Honorable Ike Skelton,
introduced H.R. 3936, which would authorize the principal
office of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims to be at any location in the Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan area, rather than only in the District of
Columbia, and express the sense of Congress that a dedicated
Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center should be provided for
that Court and those it serves and should be located, if
feasible, at a site owned by the United States that is part of
or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation.
On April 29, 2004, the Subcommittee on Benefits held a
hearing on 10 bills, including H.R. 3936.
On May 13, 2004, the Subcommittee on Benefits met and
ordered H.R. 3936 reported favorably to the full Committee by
unanimous voice vote.
On May 19, 2004, the full Committee met and ordered H.R.
3936 reported favorably to the House by unanimous voice vote.
Summary of the Reported Bill
H.R. 3936 would:
1. LAuthorize the principal office of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims to be located at any location in
the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, rather than only in
the District of Columbia.
2. LMake findings and express the sense of Congress that
all other Article I courts of the United States are located in
a dedicated courthouse; that the U.S. Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims, since its creation in 1988, has been located
in a commercial office building; and that a dedicated Veterans
Courthouse and Justice Center should be provided for the Court
and the veterans it serves, and should be located, if feasible,
at a site owned by the United States that is part of or
proximate to the Pentagon Reservation.
3. LRequires not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this bill that the Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Administrator of General
Services submit to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans'
Affairs and Armed Services a joint report on the feasibility of
locating a new Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center at an
appropriate Pentagon Reservation site.
Background and Discussion
H.R. 3936 would authorize the U.S. Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims, now located in commercial office space in the
District of Columbia, to seek a new location in the greater
national capital region. This measure would also express the
sense of Congress that a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and
Justice Center should be provided for the Court and the
veterans it serves. It would be located, if possible, next to
Interstate Highway 395 on one of three small parking lots that
are part of the Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Virginia.
The Court, created by Public Law 100-687 in 1988, is an
independent Article I judicial tribunal that for the first time
gave our Nation's veterans the right to judicial review of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits decisions on their
disability, pension, education and other claims. It should,
like all other Article I courts, have a permanent courthouse.
In addition to the Court, occupants of the new Courthouse
would be representatives of veterans that regularly practice
before the Court, for example, the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono
Program, the National Veterans Legal Services Program, and the
appellate attorneys of veterans service organizations. The
Court and the offices of its constituents pay over $3.7 million
per year for their rent. The General Services Administration
anticipates that the Court's rental costs will increase
substantially in the not-too-distant future. Therefore, the
Committee believes that it would be desirable to relocate the
Court on a government-owned site, if possible.
In testimony before the Subcommittee on Benefits on April
29, 2004, Honorable Kenneth B. Kramer, Chief Judge of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, stated the rationale for
a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center. (See
Statement of the Views of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims, page 6.) During his testimony, Chief Judge
Kramer referred to a letter he had written to Secretary of
Defense Rumsfeld to ask for his support for the construction on
presently available Pentagon Reservation land of a courthouse
that would become a permanent home for the Court. The Committee
believes that the letter and its reply provide useful
background for understanding the proposed courthouse, and they
follow:
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims,
Chambers of Chief Judge Ken Kramer,
Washington, DC, October 24, 2003
Hon. Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense,
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Secretary: I ask for your support for the construction of
a United States Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center (Courthouse) on
presently available Pentagon Reservation land. The Courthouse would
become the permanent home for the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims (the Court).
It is my understanding that the Department of Defense (DoD) has
initiated a feasibility study to determine the ``highest and best
possible use'' of three sites in Arlington, Virginia: the Hayes, Eads,
and Fern Street parking lots, located on the Pentagon Reservation,
south of Interstate 395, just north of Army Navy Drive (an aerial map
of the sites is enclosed) [map not included]; and that, after the study
has been completed, the DoD may use its enhanced leasing authority to
request proposals for private development. I ask that this enhanced
leasing authority be utilized to construct the Courthouse on one of
these sites.
The Court is an independent Article I judicial tribunal created by
statute in 1988 to hear appeals from final decisions of the Board of
Veterans' Appeals denying benefits administered by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA). By creating the Court, Congress gave our
nation's veterans, for the first time, the right to judicial review of
VA benefits decisions. The Court, housed since its founding in a
commercial office building in the District of Columbia, is presently
the only Article I court not located in a dedicated courthouse (the
other Article I courts are the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed
Forces, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims).
In addition to the Court, occupants of the Courthouse would be
members of those constituencies that regularly practice before the
Court--VA General Counsel Group VII, the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono
Program, and appellate attorneys of the Disabled American Veterans
(DAV), the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and the National
Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). The Veterans Consortium Pro
Bono Program is a federally funded grant program, administered through
the Legal Services Corporation, to recruit, train, and mentor attorneys
to provide pro bono representation to veterans and their families in
cases before the Court. The DAV and PVA are veterans service
organizations that have historically had staff members housed at
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities where they represent
veterans benefits claimants. The NVLSP is a public-interest program
devoted to representing veterans and their families. Consultation is
also underway with other veterans organizations to determine their
interest in having a presence in the Courthouse.
The General Services Administration (GSA) has estimated that the
Courthouse would require 121,000 gross square feet or 112,000 rentable
square feet of interior space. (It is not anticipated that, if
additional veterans organizations were to occupy space, there would be
any significant impact on square footage requirements.) GSA could work
with DoD to coordinate pre-design and pre-construction studies to
determine the feasibility of use of one of the sites for the
Courthouse, would provide input during design and construction based on
guidelines for federal courthouses, and, once construction was
completed, act as the federal leasing agent. The Court and its
constituencies that have expressed an intent to relocate in the
Courthouse pay (or expressed a willingness to pay, based upon present
rental costs) over $3.7 million per year for rent. GSA anticipates
that, at least for the Court and VA, rental costs will increase
substantially in the not-too-distant future. Arlington County
government officials have indicated that they support the Courthouse
and have offered to assist in this project.
Given the past, present, and future sacrifices of the many men and
women of our Armed Forces, I cannot imagine a higher or better use for
one of these present parking-lot sites than a stand-alone, dedicated
Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center which would embody the gratitude
this nation holds towards every veteran who--in Abraham Lincoln's
words--``shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his
orphan.'' The Pentagon Reservation site, would be the ideal setting,
given its proximity to the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, and the soon-
to-be-constructed Air Force Memorial. The Courthouse would express our
government's strong commitment to the ideal of justice for veterans and
DoD's use of its enhanced leasing authority would permit the project to
come to fruition with a minimum of appropriated funds.
I thank you for your consideration of this undertaking as a timely
and tangible means of demonstrating to the nation's veterans and their
families how much their sacrifices are valued. I would very much
appreciate an opportunity to meet with you to discuss this matter. A
member of my staff will call your scheduler to request a meeting at
your convenience.
Sincerely,
Kenneth B. Kramer
Enclosure.
cc: [courtesy copies omitted].
__________
U.S. Department of Defense,
Office of the Secretary of Defense,
Washington, DC, December 30, 2003
Hon. Ken Kramer
Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims,
Washington, DC
Dear Chief Judge Kramer: Thank you for your recent letter to
Secretary Rumsfeld and your corresponding note to me requesting
Department of Defense (DoD) support for the construction of a United
States Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center on land that is part of
the Pentagon Reservation. I am responding on behalf of the Secretary. I
regret that the Department cannot support your request. The land is not
presently available because it is being used to provide essential
parking for DoD employees. In addition, we have a continuing need for
the property in the longer term, both for parking and as part of our
security buffer from uncontrolled development proximate to the
Pentagon.
As you mentioned in your letter, DoD has initiated a feasibility
study to gauge the level of private sector interest in entering into an
``Enhanced-Use Lease'' agreement in accordance with the provisions of
Section 2667 of Title 10, United States Code. The study includes the
requirement to accommodate continuing DoD requirements for the land, as
well as our anti-terrorism and force protection needs; specifically:
maintaining the present level of employee parking, the possible
relocation of the Navy Exchange Service Station (which sits on land
that will be transferred to the Secretary of the Army for use by
Arlington National Cemetery), compliance with line-of-site
restrictions, and effecting other critical structural security and
design features. Should ``Enhanced-Use-Leasing'' prove feasible, we
would not object to the General Services Administration working with
our selected developer to see if your requirement for a new United
States Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center could be met within this
context.
As an alternative, you may wish to consider leasing or purchasing
other land in the area. There are some private sector sites well suited
to your requirements that would provide you with a prominent location.
I hope this information will be helpful in your search for a site
to accommodate the United States Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center.
Sincerely,
Raymond F. DuBois,
Director
H.R. 3936 would also require the Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of General
Services to submit a joint report to the House and Senate
Committees on Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs on the
feasibility of locating a new Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center at an appropriate site owned by the United States that
is part of or near the Pentagon Reservation.
Section-By-Section Analysis
Section 1 of the bill would authorize the principal office
of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to be
located at any location in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
area.
Section 2(a) of the bill would make the following findings:
that every Article I court of the United States other than the
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is located
in a dedicated courthouse; that the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims has since its creation in 1988 been
located in a commercial office building in the District of
Columbia; that the court should be housed in a dedicated
courthouse, as are all other Article I courts; that a dedicated
courthouse for that court constituting a Veterans Courthouse
and Justice Center would express the gratitude and respect of
the Nation for the sacrifices of those serving and those who
have served in the Armed Forces, and their families; and
location of such a courthouse and judicial center in an area
proximate to the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and the
Air Force Memorial (as planned) in Arlington, Virginia, would
be symbolic of the high esteem that the Nation holds for its
veterans.
Section 2(b) of the bill would express the sense of
Congress that a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center should be provided for the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims; and that the Secretary of Defense,
in cooperation with the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the
Administrator of General Services should determine the
feasibility of locating such a Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center at an appropriate site owned by the United States that
is part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation in
Arlington, Virginia.
Section 2(c) of the bill would require the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the
Administrator of General Services to submit a report on the
feasibility of locating a new Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center at an appropriate site owned by the United States, not
later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Act, to
the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and the Committees on Armed
Services of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Performance Goals and Objectives
The reported bill pertains to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims which is established under Article I of the
Constitution of the United States. The Court is subject to the
Committee's regular oversight.
Statement of the Views of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE KENNETH B. KRAMER, CHIEF JUDGE, U.S. COURT OF
APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
APRIL 29, 2004
MR. CHAIRMAN AND DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE:
On behalf of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
(the Court), I appreciate the opportunity to testify concerning H.R.
3936. I speak in support of the bill. H.R. 3936 would amend title 38 of
the United States Code to authorize the Court to locate its principal
office in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, rather than only in
the District of Columbia, and would express the sense of Congress that
a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center (Courthouse) should
be provided for the Court and those it serves. The proposed legislation
would also require the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, the Administrator of General Services, and other appropriate
government officials to work with the Court to explore the feasibility
of using a site owned by the United States and located on or proximate
to the Pentagon Reservation. A report to the Congress on this matter
would be due 90 days after enactment of the legislation.
The Court is an independent Article I judicial tribunal created by
statute in 1988 to hear appeals from adverse final decisions of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals concerning benefits administered by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). By creating the Court, Congress
gave our nation's veterans, for the first time, the right to judicial
review of VA benefits decisions. The Court, housed since its founding
in a commercial office building in the District of Columbia, is
presently the only Article I court not located in a dedicated
courthouse (the other Article I courts are the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Armed Forces, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Federal
Claims).
Last October, I wrote to DoD Secretary Rumsfeld to ask for his
support for the construction on presently available Pentagon
Reservation land of a Courthouse that would become the permanent home
for the Court. It was my understanding that the Department of Defense
(DoD) had initiated a feasibility study to determine the ``highest and
best possible use'' of three sites in Arlington, Virginia: the Hayes,
Eads, and Fern Street parking lots, located on the Pentagon
Reservation, south of Interstate 395, just north of Army Navy Drive;
and that, after the study had been completed, the DoD might use its
enhanced-leasing authority to request proposals for private
development. I asked Secretary Rumsfeld to consider using this
enhanced-leasing authority to construct the Courthouse on one of these
sites.
In addition to the Court, occupants of the Courthouse would be
members of those entities that regularly practice before the Court--VA
General Counsel Group VII, the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program,
and appellate attorneys of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and the National Veterans Legal
Services Program (NVLSP), as well as the executive office of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association (CAVC Bar
Association). The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program is a federally
funded grant program, administered through the Legal Services
Corporation, to recruit, train, and mentor attorneys to provide pro
bono representation to veterans and their families in cases before the
Court. The DAV and PVA are veterans service organizations that have
historically had staff members housed at Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) facilities where they represent veterans benefits claimants. The
NVLSP is a public-interest program devoted to representing veterans and
their families. The CAVC Bar Association is a tax-exempt voluntary
organization of practitioners before the Court that qualifies to
receive grants of funds for, e.g., educational programs, pursuant to 38
U.S.C. Sec. 7285(b)(2). We are asking other veterans organizations
about their interest in having their legal offices in the Courthouse.
The General Services Administration (GSA) has preliminarily
estimated that an appropriate Courthouse would require 121,000 gross
square feet or 112,000 rentable square feet of interior space. (It is
not anticipated that, if additional veterans organizations were to
occupy space, there would be any significant impact on square-footage
requirements.) GSA can work with DoD on predesign and preconstruction
studies to determine the feasibility of use of one of the DoD sites for
the Courthouse, can provide input during design and construction based
on guidelines for federal courthouses, and, once construction was
completed, act as the federal leasing agent. The Court and its
constituencies that have expressed an intent to relocate in the
Courthouse pay (or have expressed a willingness to pay, based upon
present rental costs) over $3.7 million per year for rent. GSA
anticipates that, at least for the Court and VA, rental costs at our
present D.C. location will increase substantially in the near future.
In December 2003, I received a response to my letter to Secretary
Rumsfeld. The response came from the Honorable Raymond F. DuBois, the
DoD Deputy Under Secretary for Installations and the Environment. In
his letter, Mr. DuBois stated that a feasibility study had been
initiated to ``gauge the level of private sector interest in entering
into an `Enhanced-Use Lease' agreement in accordance with the
provisions of Section 2667 of Title 10, United States Code.'' He
pointed out that requirements for use of the land include DoD's anti-
terrorism and force-protection needs''; specifically, he listed
``maintaining the present level of employee parking, the possible
relocation of the Navy Exchange Service Station (which sits on land
that will be transferred to the Secretary of the Army for use by
Arlington National Cemetery), compliance with line-of-site [sic]
restrictions, and effecting other critical structural security and
design features.'' He went on to say the following: ``Should `Enhanced-
Use-Leasing' prove feasible, we would not object to the [GSA] working
with our selected developer to see if your requirement for a new United
States Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center could be met within this
context.''
GSA has been supportive, with members of the National Capital
Region staff providing assistance and preliminary analysis. In a
December 2003 letter, Administrator Stephen A. Perry wrote as follows,
concerning the initiative to locate the Courthouse on or near the
Pentagon Reservation: ``We share your vision for this worthy
undertaking, and we will continue to support you on this or any other
alternatives you may consider.'' Arlington County government officials
have indicated that they support the Courthouse and have offered to
assist in this project.
I continue to follow the progress of the DoD feasibility study, and
have been informed that it is not yet final, but should be complete
within the next few weeks. Should the study be positive concerning
enhanced-lease development by the private sector, the Court would work
with DoD, the developer it selects, GSA, and the constituents who
intend to co-locate with the Court to try to make the Veterans
Courthouse and Justice Center a reality.
Given the past, present, and future sacrifices of the many men and
women of our Armed Forces, I cannot imagine a higher or better use for
one of these present parking-lot sites than a stand-alone, dedicated
Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center to embody the gratitude that
this nation holds for those who--in Abraham Lincoln's words--``shall
have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.'' The Pentagon
Reservation site would be the ideal setting, given its proximity to the
Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, and the soon-to-be-constructed Air Force
Memorial. The Courthouse would express our government's strong
commitment to the ideal of justice for veterans and DoD's use of its
enhanced-leasing authority would permit the project to come to fruition
with a minimum expenditure of appropriated funds. We would, of course,
be glad to cooperate in the preparation of the report called for by
section 2(c) of H.R. 3936.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for the support of the
sponsors of this legislation, Chairman Smith, ranking minority member
Evans, and Armed Services Committee ranking minority member Skelton and
for the invaluable assistance of your Committees staff, especially Pat
Ryan, Kingston Smith, and Mary Ellen McCarthy. I thank you for your
consideration of H.R. 3936, which would greatly advance this
undertaking, as a timely and tangible symbol of justice for our
nation's veterans and their families whose sacrifices are greatly
valued.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
The following letter was received from the Congressional
Budget Office concerning the cost of the reported bill:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 26, 2004
Hon. Christopher H. Smith
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3936, a bill to
amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the principal
office of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims to be at any location in the Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan area, rather than only in the District of
Columbia, and expressing the sense of Congress that a dedicated
Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center should be provided for
that Court and those it serves and should be located, if
feasible, at a site owned by the United States that is part of
or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation, and for other
purposes.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Dwayne M.
Wright, who can be reached at 226-2840.
Sincerely,
Douglas Holtz-Eakin,
Director
Enclosure.
------
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
May 26, 2004
H.R. 3936, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize
the principal office of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims to be at any location in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
area, rather than only in the District of Columbia, and expressing the
sense of Congress that a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice
Center should be provided for that Court and those it serves and should
be located, if feasible, at a site owned by the United States that is
part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation, and for other
purposes
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on May
19, 2004
H.R. 3936 would authorize the Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims (CAVC) to locate its principal office anywhere in the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Under current law, the
principal office of the CAVC must be located in the District of
Columbia. According to the CAVC, it currently has no plans to
move from the current location in the District, nor are there
plans to dedicate a Veterans Courthouse in the District of
Columbia, or in the metropolitan area within the next five
years. Therefore, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3936
would not have any significant near-term effect on federal
spending.
While the CAVC indicates it does not plan to move from its
current location in the near future, the bill contains the
sense of the Congress that appears to urge the CAVC to pursue
acquiring a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center at
an appropriate site owned by the United States that is near or
proximate to the Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Virginia.
In fact, according to the General Services Administration
(GSA), the Court has begun the process of inquiry into a
possible relocation at some point in time but GSA has not
incorporated a specific project or funding in its five-year
plan for CAVC relocation. GSA indicates that, once CAVC decides
to relocate, the process of site acquisition and building
design and construction could take about five years to
accomplish and cost about $35 million--$1 million for project
studies and site acquisition, $6 million for building design,
and $28 million for building construction. If the CAVC chose to
seriously pursue relocation during the next several years, it
is possible that some or all this cost could occur over the
2006-2009 period, subject to the availability of appropriated
funds.
H.R. 3936 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
On May 14, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 3936,
as introduced on March 11, 2004. The two versions of the
legislation are identical, as are the two estimates.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Dwayne M.
Wright, who can be reached at 226-2840. This estimate was
approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for
Budget Analysis.
Statement of Federal Mandates
The preceding Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
states that the bill contains no intergovernmental or private
sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
Statement of Constitutional Authority
Pursuant to Article I, section 8, of the United States
Constitution, the reported bill is authorized by Congress'
power to ``provide for the common Defense and general Welfare
of the United States.''
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
SECTION 7255 OF TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE
Sec. 7255. Offices
The principal office of the Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims shall be in the [District of Columbia], Washington,
D.C., metropolitan area, but the Court may sit at any place
within the United States.
* * * * * * *