[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4362 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4362

 To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct Stand Down 
events and to establish a pilot program that will provide for an annual 
                    Stand Down event in each State.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 1998

  Mr. Vento introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affair

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct Stand Down 
events and to establish a pilot program that will provide for an annual 
                    Stand Down event in each State.

    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 ``Stand Down Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) Stand Down events have proven to be an effective form 
        of outreach and a successful way to provide assistance to 
        veterans who have most often not utilized or availed themselves 
        of other existing service delivery functions;
            (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should be fully 
        authorized to provide sufficient assistance to meet the needs 
        of all veterans at Stand Down events;
            (3) the several branches of the United States Armed Forces 
        and the National Guard, which have provided valuable support 
        and services to establish and maintain the delivery of services 
        to veterans at Stand Down events, should continue to do so to 
        the extent that their various missions, responsibilities, and 
        roles permit; and
            (4) national and local veterans' organizations, which have 
        also provided valuable support and services to veterans at 
        Stand Down events and have been instrumental to the success of 
        such events, should be commended and recognized for their 
        outstanding contributions and should be strongly encouraged to 
        continue to provide volunteers and resources at such events.

SEC. 3. STAND DOWN EVENTS.

    Subchapter VII of chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 1775. Stand Down events
    ``(a) The Secretary may (directly or in conjunction with a 
governmental or other entity)--
            ``(1) carry out Stand Down events; and
            ``(2) in connection with any Stand Down event, whether 
        carried out under paragraph (1) or otherwise--
                    ``(A) provide outreach services;
                    ``(B) use or provide any personal property of the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs that the Secretary 
                determines is not otherwise reasonably needed by the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs; and
                    ``(C) provide any other benefit or service of the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs that the Secretary 
                considers appropriate.
    ``(b) For purposes of this section, the term `Stand Down event' 
means an event to provide veterans who are without a home, unemployed, 
experiencing health or social adjustment challenges, or otherwise in 
need of assistance, with 1 to 3 days of safety and security, access to 
assistance such as food, shelter, clothing, benefits certification, and 
health care, and any other form of assistance that the Secretary 
considers appropriate.
    ``(c) The Secretary shall establish and implement a pilot program 
under which the Secretary shall carry out (directly or in conjunction 
with a governmental or other entity) a single Stand Down event in each 
State in each calendar year, beginning in 1999.
    ``(d) Not later than February 1 of each year, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing--
            ``(1) for the preceding year, a description of the 
        implementation of the pilot program established under 
        subsection (c);
            ``(2) the Secretary's recommendations, if any, for 
        legislation regarding the pilot program; and
            ``(3) any other matter that the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.''.

SEC. 4. CLERICAL AMENDMENT.

    The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 17 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to 
section 1774 the following new item:

``1775. Stand Down events.''.
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