[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1191 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1191

   To establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation 
               options to veterans in remote rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2005

  Mr. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation 
               options to veterans in remote rural areas.

    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 ``VetsRide Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) For many veterans living in rural areas in the United 
        States, the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
        center is hundreds of miles away.
            (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs has been unable to 
        adequately provide care for veterans due to budgetary 
        constraints. In 2004, the Department of Veterans Affairs set a 
        goal to build 156 new community-based outpatient clinics by 
        2012. Budget shortfalls have slowed the building of new clinics 
        and many service networks have postponed opening new clinics 
        indefinitely or reduced staffing at existing clinics.
            (3) State veteran service officers and private veteran 
        service organizations have moved in to fill the void, providing 
        critically needed transportation services to veterans in rural 
        remote areas. These services are especially important to 
        elderly and infirm veterans who do not have other 
        transportation options.
            (4) Although such ad hoc veterans travel programs have 
        community support, many suffer from chronic underfunding. 
        Relatively small investments in transportation services can 
        result in significantly better care for our Nation's most 
        vulnerable veterans.

SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR RURAL VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation 
        options to veterans in remote rural areas.
            (2) Use of funds.--Grants awarded under this section may be 
        used by State veterans' service officers and veterans service 
        organizations to--
                    (A) assist veterans to travel to Department of 
                Veterans Affairs medical centers; and
                    (B) otherwise assist in providing medical care to 
                veterans in remote rural areas.
            (3) Maximum amount.--The Secretary may not award a grant 
        under this section in an amount in excess of $50,000.
            (4) No matching requirement.--Grant recipients under this 
        section shall not be required to provide matching funds as a 
        condition for 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 recognized by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs for the representation of veterans under section 5902 
of title 38, United States Code.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to 
carry out this Act.
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