[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6035 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6035

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to provide enhanced travel benefits for veterans 
traveling to facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2006

   Mr. Larsen of Washington introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to provide enhanced travel benefits for veterans 
traveling to facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ``Rural Veterans Transportation Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR RURAL VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Establishment of Grant Program.--Subchapter III of chapter 17 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:
``Sec. 1730A. Transportation grant program
    ``(a) Grant Program.--(1) The Secretary shall establish a grant 
program to make grants to State veterans' service officers and veterans 
service organizations for the purpose of providing innovative 
transportation options to veterans in remote rural areas.
    ``(2) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section a State 
veterans' service officer or veterans service organization shall submit 
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may 
require.
    ``(3) The recipient of a grant under this section shall use the 
grant to--
            ``(A) provide assistance to veterans for traveling to 
        Department medical centers; and
            ``(B) otherwise assist in providing medical care to 
        veterans in remote rural areas.
    ``(4) A grant under this section shall not exceed $50,000.
    ``(5) A recipient of a grant under this section shall not be 
required to provide matching funds as a condition of receiving such a 
grant.
    ``(b) Rulemaking.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for--
            ``(1) evaluating grant applications under this section; and
            ``(2) otherwise administering the program established by 
        this section.
    ``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `veterans service 
organization' means any organization named in or approved under section 
5902 of this title.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2007 through 2011.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1730 the following new item:

``1730A. Transportation grant program.''.

SEC. 3. TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT FOR VETERANS RECEIVING TREATMENT AT 
              FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Reimbursement.--Section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``subsistence),'' and inserting 
                ``subsistence at a rate equivalent to the rate provided 
                to Federal employees under section 5702 of title 5),''; 
                and
                    (B) by striking ``traveled,'' and inserting ``(at a 
                rate equivalent to the rate provided to Federal 
                employees under section 5704 of title 5),'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``subsection 
        (g)(2)(A) of this section or'';
            (3) by striking subsection (g); and
            (4) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (g).
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Amounts required to carry out 
the amendments made by subsection (a) shall be specifically 
appropriated for that purpose.
                                 <all>