Military Construction Authorization Act, 1981

(Measure indefinitely postponed in Senate, H.R. 7301 passed in lieu)

Military Construction Authorization Act, 1981 - =Title I: Army= - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to establish or develop military installations and facilities at specified locations. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each of these locations. Authorizes the Secretary to establish or develop other installations by proceeding with construction made necessary by unforeseen security considerations, new weapons development, new and unforeseen research and development requirements, improved production schedules, or revisions in the tasks or functions assigned to a military installation or for environmental considerations if the Secretary of Defense determines that deferral of such construction for inclusion in the next Military Construction Authorization Act would be inconsistent with the national security. Authorizes appropriations for such emergency construction. Authorizes appropriations for minor construction projects.

=Title II: Navy= - Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to establish or develop military installations and facilities at specified locations. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each such location. Authorizes the Secretary to establish or develop other installations where necessary under the same conditions as those relating to the Secretary of the Army under title I of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to contract for the construction of the Air Passenger Terminal in Keflavik, Iceland. Stipulates that the United States share of such construction costs shall not exceed $20,000,000.

Prohibits the expenditure of funds for the construction of the Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego, California, until the Secretary submits a report to specified congressional committees on the selection of a site for such Center, and the committees grant written approval for such site.

Authorizes the Secretary to acquire by exchange necessary lands for two established, low-level, high-speed aircraft corridors to serve the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California.

=Title III: Air Force= - Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to establish or develop military installations and facilities at specified locations. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each such location. Authorizes the Secretary to establish or develop additional facilities where necessitated by those factors enumerated in title I of this Act. Directs the Secretary to install a general alarm siren system at each Titan II missile site which is near a significant size population.

=Title IV: Defense Agencies= - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to establish or develop military installations at specified locations and authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each such location. Authorizes the Secretary to establish or develop additional facilities which are determined to be vital to the security of the United States. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose.

Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the five-year slice group plan for 1980 through 1984 to implement the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Infrastructure program. Limits the United States' share of such plan to 27.3 percent of the total amount of commitments made by all other member nations.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to incur NATO facilities construction costs of up to $300,000,000. Requires the Secretary to report to the Senate and the House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees concerning such costs.

Authorizes appropriations for the construction of contingency facilities in the Middle East and Indian Ocean areas. Prohibits the expenditure of such funds until: (1) the United States and the country exercising sovereignty over lands for such construction have entered into a formal agreement guaranteeing the United States access to and use of the facility; and (2) a copy of the agreement has been transmitted to the Congress. Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a written report to the appropriate congressional committees before the expenditure of any such funds and sets forth areas to be addressed in such report. Requires construction materials (except cement products) to be products of the United States and transported on United States flagships.

Sets forth prerequisites for the expenditure of appropriated funds for the construction of a Defense Intelligence Agency facility at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.

=Title V: Military Family Housing= - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to construct or acquire military family housing. Authorizes appropriations for such housing at specified locations in the U.S. and overseas.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) improve existing quarters; and (2) provide for advance planning and construction design, including architectural and engineering services. Limits the amounts that may be expended for such purposes.

Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1968, to increase the cost limitation on certain home repairs from $10,000 to $20,000.

Increases the average monthly expenditures for the rental of military facilities in the United States (other than Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam), Puerto Rico, and foreign countries. Authorizes the Secretary to exempt not more than one percent of rental units from such cost limitations.

Makes occupants liable for damage to military family housing.

Allows contractor claims (relating to such housing) to proceed even though settlement of such claims would exceed spending limitations, after reporting such claims to the appropriate congressional committees.

Authorizes the Secretary to complete housing construction in Oahu, Hawaii, notwithstanding specified cost limitations.

Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1979, to increase the funding limit for the Naval Facility, Centerville Beach, California, from $1,509,000 to $2,030,000.

Repeals provisions of the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1978, relating to energy consumption metering devices and excess energy consumption charges.

=Title VI: Authorization of Appropriations and Administrative Provisions= - Authorizes the Secretaries of the various military departments to develop installations under this Act without regard to provisions of law which prohibit the advancement of public moneys and which require the submission of detailed cost estimates to Congress.

Establishes expenditure ceilings for each title of this Act.

Authorizes limited increases in the amounts authorized pursuant to this Act if the Secretary of the military department or the Director of the defense agency concerned determines that such an increase is required for the sole purpose of meeting unusual and unanticipated variations in costs.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to encourage the use of solar energy for projects authorized by this Act and authorizes the Secretary to increase the cost limitations or floor area limitations for a project in order to equip it with solar energy heating or cooling equipment.

Establishes measures and responsibility for supervising the construction work authorized under this Act.

Repeals prior Military Construction Authorization Acts. Specifies exceptions to such repealer.

Sets forth unit cost limitations based on square footage for projects authorized pursuant to this Act.

Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1979, to increase certain appropriated amounts.

=Title VII: Guard and Reserve Forces Facilities= - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to establish or develop additional facilities for the Guard and Reserve Forces of various military departments. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each such entity.

=Title VIII: General Provisions= - Declares that solar energy systems shall be considered cost effective if the original investment cost differential can be recovered over the expected life of the facility using accepted life cycle costing procedures.

Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1977, regarding a land conveyance to South Charleston, West Virginia, to: (1) increase the acreage involved in such conveyance; and (2) include the Department of the Navy in the administration of the land conveyed to the U.S. by South Charleston.

Increases from $50,000 to $100,000 the amount at which: (1) military real property transactions must be preceded by a report to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees; and (2) a military department may acquire any interest in land for national defense purposes.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to amend the declaration of taking certain lands in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, signed by the Secretary on December 26, 1979, by substituting such taking with a leasehold estate for a term of 75 years. Directs the Secretary to convey to the city of San Diego all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to all or any part of the real property of the Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego, California, in consideration for the acquisition of the Balboa Park area. Authorizes the Secretary to construct a Navy hospital or medical center on such leased lands in the Balboa Park area.

Directs the Secretary of Defense, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, to furnish to the appropriate congressional committees a plan for the conversion to an alternate fuel for use in Department of Defense oil or gas fired plants.

Prohibits the Department of Defense from constructing new boiler plants which use oil or gas and which require heat input rates in excess of 50,000,000 British thermal units.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to remove all chemical munitions from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado and to report to the congressional committees on Armed Services on the methods to be used to carry out such removal.

Directs the Secretary of the Navy, within six months of enactment of this Act, to begin a decontamination study to determine the feasibility and cost of clearing the island of Kahoolawe, Hawaii, and adjacent waters of ordnance and other debris resulting from the use of such island as a target range by the Navy.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to utilize funds during fiscal year 1981 to provide community planning assistance to areas affected by the MX Weapon System sites and the East Coast Trident Base. Directs the Secretary, in fiscal year 1982, to carry out such assistance through existing Federal programs, including by direct transfer of funds from the department concerned, if the Secretary determines there is an immediate and substantial increase in the need for services and facilities. Requires the Secretary to report to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations, by November 1, 1983, on the amounts transferred and the amounts obligated and expended by local communities which were provided assistance.

Directs the President to conduct a study on the adverse impact on communities in which new military facilities are constructed and to submit the results of such study to the Congress by March 1, 1981.

Requires the Secretary of the Navy to select a site for the public display of the U.S.S. Nautilus and notify Congress of such selection, after taking specified factors into consideration.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, of the condition of the Strategic Rail Corridor Network and to submit the results of such study, with recommendations for correcting deficiencies, to the congressional committees on Armed Services by July 1, 1981.

Amends a previous Act which conveyed land to the State of Maine in 1957, to allow the State to utilize such land for public purposes (rather than only vocational or school purposes).