Appropriations bill FY98, Military Construction

(On February 25, 1998, the President's cancellations (by line item veto) of provisions of H.R. 2016 were disapproved when H.R. 2631 became public law 105-159, thus reinstating such provisions.)

(On October 6, 1997, the President exercised his line item veto authority to cancel $286.7 million in discretionary budget authority for 38 military construction items in this Act, including ten Air Force projects, nine Navy projects, nine Army projects, three Army National Guard projects, three Air Force reserve projects, two Naval Reserve projects, and two Army Reserve projects. The following revised digest summarizes the enacted version of H.R. 2016 as modified by line item veto.) (Note: The high degree of specificity of the items cancelled precluded their inclusion in the original law's summary. As a result, the original law's summary and the summary of the law after the item vetoes are identical. For more information on the specific items vetoed, see the text of the conference report for H.R. 2016, H. Rept. 105-247, and Presidential Cancellation Numbers 97-4 through 97-41.))

Military Construction Appropriations Act, 1998 - Appropriates funds for FY 1998 for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure functions administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), namely: (1) military construction for the Army, Navy, and Air Force; (2) military construction, DOD (including a transfer of funds); (3) military construction for the Army and Air National Guards; (4) military construction for the Army, Navy, and Air Force Reserves; (5) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program; (6) family housing for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Air Force; (7) family housing, DOD; and (8) the Base Realignment and Closure Accounts, Parts II, III, and IV.

(Sec. 101) Specifies restrictions and authorizations regarding the use of funds appropriated in this or other military construction appropriations Acts.

(Sec. 113) Directs the Secretary of Defense to notify the appropriate congressional committees 30 days in advance of the plans and scope of any proposed military exercise involving U.S. personnel if construction costs for such exercise are expected to exceed $100,000.

(Sec. 118) Provides for the transfer of lapsed unobligated military construction and family housing funds into the Foreign Currency Fluctuations, Construction, Defense account.

(Sec. 119) Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional appropriations committees on actions proposed by DOD to encourage other member nations of NATO, Japan, Korea, and U.S. allies in the Arabian Gulf to assume a greater share of the common defense burden of such nations and the United States.

(Sec. 121) Requires entities expending assistance received under this Act to comply with the Buy American Act.

(Sec. 123) Authorizes, after 30 days' prior notification to the appropriations committees, the transfer of specified funds to the Department of Defense: (1) Family Housing Improvement Fund; and (2) Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund.

(Sec. 125) Reduces by specified amounts funds from the military construction accounts, the NATO Security Investment Program account, the Base Realignment and Closure accounts, and military family housing accounts.

(Sec. 126) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, using funds appropriated under this Act, to complete the Special Forces (Diver) Training Facility at Key West, Florida, as authorized under the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991.

(Sec. 127) Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to lease to the city and county of Honolulu, Hawaii, specified real property on Waipio Peninsula, Honolulu, for development and operation of a public soccer park and related recreational facilities and for other approved civic and public purposes.

(Sec. 128) Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, no later than 60 days after issuing any solicitation for a contract with the private sector for military family or unaccompanied housing, to submit to the defense committees and the military construction subcommittees a notice of any guarantees (including the making of mortgage or rental payments) proposed to be made by such Secretary to the private party.