[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3727 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3727

  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide emergency 
    assistance to homeless veterans and their families affected by 
               Hurricane Katrina, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2005

 Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Filner, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. 
   Snyder, Mr. Michaud, Ms. Herseth, Mr. Strickland, Ms. Hooley, Mr. 
    Reyes, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Gutierrez, and Mr. Udall of New Mexico) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation 
 and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide emergency 
    assistance to homeless veterans and their families affected by 
               Hurricane Katrina, 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. USE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FORECLOSED HOMES FOR 
              VETERANS AND DISPLACED PERSONS.

    (a) Use of Foreclosed Homes.--(1) In the case of any residential 
property on which the Department of Veterans Affairs has foreclosed or 
which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has acquired pursuant to 
section 3732 of title 38, United States Code, that the Secretary 
determines to be suitable, the Secretary shall make such property 
available to an entity described in paragraph (2) or to another entity 
designated by the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
for use as a temporary residence for Hurricane Katrina-affected 
individuals. The period for which such a property may be made available 
for use as a temporary residence under this section may not exceed two 
years.
    (2) An entity referred to in paragraph (1) is an entity described 
in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 2041(a)(1) of title 38, United 
States Code.
    (3) An entity to which a residential property is made available 
under paragraph (1) shall give priority in providing shelter to those 
Hurricane Katrina-affected individuals who are veterans, surviving 
spouses of veterans, and children of veterans (as those terms are 
defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code), and their 
families.
    (4) In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall consult with the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for 
Emergency Preparedness and Response.
    (b) Reimbursement of Certain Expenditures.--Consistent with section 
304 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5147), the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency shall reimburse the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for any 
expenditures of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to the 
repair, maintenance, or management of properties owned by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to the extent that such repair, 
maintenance, or management is for the purpose of making such properties 
available as temporary residences for Hurricane Katrina-affected 
individuals under the authority of section 3720 of title 38, United 
States Code.
    (c) Hurricane Katrina-Affected Individual Defined.--For purposes of 
this Act, the term ``Hurricane Katrina-affected individual'' means an 
individual who as of August 28, 2005, resided in, or was employed in, a 
county adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina in the State of Florida, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama that is designated for individual 
assistance or public assistance by Federal Disaster Declaration notice 
1602, 1603, 1604, or 1605, respectively (as amended), issued by the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
    (d) Publication of Regulations.--The Secretary is not required to 
publish in the Federal Register regulations to carry out this section.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS FOR PROVISION OF SHELTER TO 
              HOMELESS VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is authorized to 
make emergency grants to entities described in section 1(a)(2) for the 
purpose of providing housing assistance to homeless veterans (as 
defined in section 2002 of title 38, United States Code) who are 
Hurricane Katrina-affected individuals and their families for a period 
not to exceed two years.
    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive an emergency grant 
under this subsection, such an entity shall have the capacity (as 
determined by the Secretary) to effectively administer such a grant.
    (c) Provision of Notice.--The Secretary shall provide notice of the 
availability of emergency grants on the Internet website of the 
Department of Veterans Affair and use such other means of notice as the 
Secretary may determine are appropriate.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs of the Senate a report specifying the number of grants awarded 
under this section and the identity of each grant recipient.
    (e) Publication of Regulations.--The Secretary is not required to 
publish in the Federal Register regulations to carry out this section.
    (f) Termination of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary to 
make grants under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2007.

SEC. 3. USE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FACILITIES FOR HOMELESS 
              VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

    (a) Authority for Use of Underutilized Department of Veterans 
Affairs Property as Temporary Veteran Housing.--Subchapter I of chapter 
81 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:
``Sec. 8119. Underutilized property: housing for veterans during 
              emergency
    ``(a) Authority.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this title 
or of any other law, during or following a period of emergency or 
disaster declared by the President pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), 
the Secretary may use underutilized Department property that is 
habitable or that can be rendered habitable with limited resources, as 
determined by the Secretary, to house, for a period not to exceed 180 
days, veterans and their dependents who are displaced as a result of 
such emergency or disaster.
    ``(b) Underutilized Department Property.--For purposes of this 
section, the term `underutilized Department property' means an asset of 
the Department that is so identified by the Capital Asset Realignment 
for Enhanced Services or otherwise identified by the Secretary.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 81 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 8118 the following new item:

``8119. Underutilized property: housing for veterans during 
                            emergency.''.

SEC. 4. EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR OF HOMELESS VETERAN 
              FACILITIES.

    (a) Emergency Grant Authority.--Subchapter II of chapter 20 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:
``Sec. 2014. Emergency grants for repair or replacement of homeless 
              veteran facilities
    ``(a) Authority.--The Secretary may make emergency grants to 
eligible entities providing care for homeless veterans for the purpose 
of repairing or replacing facilities used for the provision of such 
care that are damaged or destroyed by a disaster.
    ``(b) Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term `eligible entity' 
has the meaning given that term in section 2011(d) of this title.
    ``(c) Establishment of Criteria and Requirements.--The Secretary 
shall establish criteria and requirements for grants under this section 
and shall publish such criteria and requirements in the Federal 
Register.
    ``(d) Disaster.--In this section, the term `disaster' means any 
hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal 
wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, 
snowstorm, drought, fire, explosion, or other catastrophe in any part 
of the United States which causes, or which may cause, substantial 
damage or injury to civilian property or persons.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 20 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 2013 the following new item:

``2014. Emergency grants for repair or replacement of homeless veteran 
                            facilities.''.
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