Congress·In Committee·H.R. 4647

Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025

Renaming the West Haven VA Medical Center

7 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

▶

Scheduled for House Floor Vote

This bill is on the House floor schedule this week under suspension of the rules.

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 6 months

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by a subcommittee. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs for further study. The bill is actively moving forward as it waits for the committee to decide on the next steps.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Very likely to pass

Bills that rename federal buildings after war heroes and Medal of Honor recipients almost always pass with unanimous support.

Key Points

This bill would change the name of the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in West Haven, Connecticut. It would be renamed the Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center to honor a local hero and veterans advocate.
Paul Bucha was a highly decorated Army captain who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. He led a small group of soldiers against a much larger enemy force and saved many lives through his leadership and bravery. He later dedicated his life to helping other veterans.
Bucha was a strong advocate for veterans' mental health. He worked to remove the stigma around post-traumatic stress and spent his later years helping other veterans get the care they needed. He even served as a leader for several national veterans organizations and government advisory committees.
The choice of this specific hospital is personal because Bucha received care there for many years. His family wanted to honor the doctors and staff who supported him during his battle with Alzheimer's disease. In his final act of service, he donated his brain to medical research at Yale University.
Renaming federal buildings is a common way for Congress to honor Americans who have provided exceptional service to the country. If this bill passes, all official maps, documents, and government records will be updated to reflect the new name of the facility.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones3 actions

Dec 19, 2025House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jul 23, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Jul 23, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 4647

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.