II 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 820 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 2, 2009 Mr. Sanders introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the automobile assistance allowance for veterans, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Veterans Mobility Enhancement Act of 2009.

2.

Enhancement of automobile assistance allowance for veterans

(a)

Increase in amount of allowance

Subsection (a) of section 3902 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking $11,000 and inserting $22,500 (as adjusted from time to time under subsection (e)). (b)

Annual adjustment

Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (e)(1)Effective on October 1 of each year (beginning in 2010), the Secretary shall increase the dollar amount in effect under subsection (a) to an amount equal to 80 percent of the average retail cost of new automobiles for the preceding calendar year. (2)The Secretary shall establish the method for determining the average retail cost of new automobiles for purposes of this subsection. The Secretary may use data developed in the private sector if the Secretary determines the data is appropriate for purposes of this subsection. . (c)

Effective date

The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2009.