[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4650 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4650
To establish a rental assistance program for low-income veteran
families, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 10, 2024
Ms. Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a rental assistance program for low-income veteran
families, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Housing for All Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME VETERAN RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(22) Low-income veteran rental assistance program.--
``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Qualified veteran family.--
``(I) In general.--The term
`qualified veteran family' means--
``(aa) for fiscal year
2025, a veteran family having
an income no higher than 50
percent of the applicable
income limitation for extremely
low-income families;
``(bb) for fiscal year
2026, a veteran family having
an income no higher than 75
percent of the applicable
income limitation for extremely
low-income families;
``(cc) for fiscal year
2027, an extremely low-income
veteran family;
``(dd) for fiscal year
2028, a very low-income veteran
family; and
``(ee) for fiscal year 2029
and thereafter, a low-income
veteran family.
``(II) Continuing eligibility.--The
term `qualified veteran family'
includes a veteran family that was
initially assisted under this paragraph
but no longer satisfies the
requirements under subclause (I),
provided that the income of the veteran
family does not exceed 100 percent of
the area median income.
``(ii) Tribally designated housing
entity.--The term `tribally designated housing
entity' has the meaning given the term in
section 4 of the Native American Housing
Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996
(25 U.S.C. 4103).
``(iii) Veteran.--The term `veteran'--
``(I) means a person who,
regardless of length of service, was a
member of the armed forces (as that
term is defined in section 101 of title
10, United States Code); and
``(II) does not include a person
who--
``(aa) received a
dishonorable discharge from the
armed forces; or
``(bb) was discharged or
dismissed from the armed forces
by reason of the sentence of a
general court-martial.
``(iv) Veteran family.--The term `veteran
family' means--
``(I) a veteran who is a single
person;
``(II) a family (including families
with children) whose head of household
(or whose spouse) is a veteran; and
``(III) 1 or more veterans living
together with 1 or more persons.
``(B) Entitlement to rental assistance.--
``(i) Entitlement.--A qualified veteran
family shall be entitled to rental assistance
under this paragraph.
``(ii) Access to assistance.--Each public
housing agency administering assistance under
this subsection shall ensure that--
``(I) any veteran family desiring
to submit an application for assistance
under this paragraph shall have the
opportunity to do so; and
``(II) assistance under this
paragraph shall be furnished with
reasonable promptness to all qualified
veteran families.
``(C) Information regarding services.--The
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, shall provide public housing agencies
assisting veteran families under this paragraph with
information regarding services available to veterans in
the area, and those public housing agencies shall
provide that information to all veteran families
assisted under this paragraph.
``(D) Prohibition on discrimination.--
``(i) In general.--An owner of 5 or more
rental dwelling units may not refuse to lease
any available unit to a holder of a voucher the
funds for which are appropriated pursuant to
this paragraph because of the status of the
prospective tenant as a holder of such voucher.
``(ii) Rule of construction.--This
subparagraph may not be construed to preempt
any law of any State or political subdivision
thereof that provides more protection than this
subparagraph.
``(E) Verification of veteran status.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, shall maintain an electronic process
through which a public housing agency may
verify the veteran status of any veteran family
that applies for or receives rental assistance
under this paragraph.
``(ii) Waiver status.--The Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, may waive the exclusion described in
subparagraph (A)(iii)(II) for purposes of
eligibility for rental assistance under this
paragraph for particular areas served by a
public housing agency.
``(F) Moving to work.--Sums appropriated pursuant
to this paragraph may not be used for or pursuant to
the Moving to Work demonstration program authorized
under section 204 of the Departments of Veterans
Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and
Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public
Law 104-134; 110 Stat. 1321).
``(G) Compliance with income targeting
requirements.--Rental assistance provided under this
paragraph shall not be considered for the purpose of
determining compliance with the requirements of section
16(b).
``(H) Exclusion of veteran disability benefits.--
Disability benefits administered by the Department of
Veterans Affairs shall not be counted as income for the
purpose of determining whether a veteran family meets
the requirements to be a qualified veteran family under
subparagraph (A)(i).
``(I) Administering agencies.--The Secretary shall
designate a public housing agency to administer
assistance under this paragraph in any area where no
existing public housing agency has jurisdiction or
where no public housing agency is adequately
administering such assistance, subject to public
comment and after consultation with States, public
housing agencies, local governments, Indian tribes, and
tribally designated housing entities.
``(J) Transition.--No veteran receiving rental
assistance under this subsection on the date of
enactment of this paragraph shall be subject to any
redetermination of eligibility as a result of the
enactment of this paragraph.
``(K) Supported housing.--
``(i) In general.--Notwithstanding this
paragraph, all vouchers made available by law
for the supported housing program administered
by the Secretary in conjunction with the
Department of Veterans Affairs under paragraph
(19) shall continue to be included in that
supported housing program.
``(ii) Referrals.--Public housing agencies
shall refer veterans assisted under this
paragraph to the supported housing program
under paragraph (19) if the public housing
agency determines that assistance through that
program would be appropriate for the veteran.
``(L) Service fees.--
``(i) In general.--Public housing agencies
administering assistance under this paragraph
shall be eligible to receive service fees to
cover costs of assisting qualified veteran
families to successfully lease units with
assistance under this paragraph, as determined
by the Secretary.
``(ii) Amount.--The amount of service fees
under this subparagraph shall not exceed $4,000
for each applicant household determined to be
eligible for assistance under this paragraph,
except that such amount shall be adjusted for
inflation annually by the Secretary in
accordance with an inflationary index selected
by the Secretary.
``(M) Authorization and permanent appropriation.--
For fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year,
there is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury
not otherwise appropriated, for the Secretary to carry
out this paragraph, such sums as may be necessary to
provide rental assistance for all qualified veteran
families entitled to assistance under this paragraph,
administrative fees under subsection (q) associated
with such rental assistance, and service fees under
subparagraph (L) of this paragraph.
``(N) Relation to existing voucher programs.--
``(i) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts
appropriated under subparagraph (M) shall
supplement, and not supplant, amounts otherwise
made available for rental assistance under this
subsection, including amounts made available
under paragraph (19).
``(ii) Rule of construction.--Nothing in
this paragraph shall be construed to affect the
number of vouchers for rental assistance
otherwise provided under this subsection,
including under paragraph (19).''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take
effect on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the fiscal
year during which this section was enacted.
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