[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3165 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3165

  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
    program to provide grants to veterans service organizations for 
   upgrading local chapter facilities, including technology at such 
          facilities, in rural areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 6, 2017

    Mr. Collins of New York (for himself and Mr. King of New York) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
    program to provide grants to veterans service organizations for 
   upgrading local chapter facilities, including technology at such 
          facilities, in rural areas, 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 ``Renovate and Enhance Veterans 
Meeting Halls and Posts Act of 2017'' or the ``REVAMP Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR FACILITY 
              REHABILITATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN RURAL AREAS.

    (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a pilot program to award grants to eligible veterans service 
organizations.
    (b) Eligible Activities and Uses.--An eligible veterans service 
organization may use a grant made under this section only for--
            (1) repairs or rehabilitation of a facility in a rural area 
        of an eligible veterans service organization; and
            (2) acquiring or upgrading computers and technology for 
        such a facility.
    (c) Applications.--An application for a grant under this section--
            (1) shall be in such form and submitted in accordance with 
        such procedures as the Secretary shall establish; and
            (2) shall include a plan for the proposed repair, 
        rehabilitation, or technology upgrading and acquisition 
        activities to be conducted using the grant amounts.
    (d) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall select applications to 
receive grants under the pilot program pursuant to a competition and 
using criteria that include--
            (1) the extent of need for such grants;
            (2) the quality of the plan proposed for repair or 
        rehabilitation of the facility involved or for acquiring or 
        upgrading computers and technology for such a facility;
            (3) the capacity or potential capacity of the applicant to 
        successfully carry out the plan; and
            (4) other factors as the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (e) Limitations.--
            (1) Amount.--An eligible veterans service organization may 
        not receive a grant under this section during any fiscal year 
        in an amount exceeding the lesser of--
                    (A) the aggregate cost of the proposed activities 
                and uses under subsection (b) for which the grant 
                amounts will be used; or
                    (B) $75,000.
            (2) Timing.--An eligible veterans service organization that 
        receives a grant under this section for a fiscal year shall be 
        ineligible for any grant under this section for any of the 
        succeeding five fiscal years.
    (f) Prohibition of New Construction or Acquisition.--A grant under 
this section may not be used for the construction or acquisition of a 
new facility.
    (g) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations 
necessary to carry out the pilot program not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section--
            (1) for fiscal year 2018, $5,000,000; and
            (2) for subsequent fiscal years, such sums as may be 
        necessary to carry out the pilot program.
    (i) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term ``eligible 
veterans service organization'' means a local or area chapter, post, or 
other unit--
            (1) of any organization that is chartered under part B of 
        subtitle II of title 36, United States Code, and that has as 
        among its primary purposes honoring, promoting, advocating for, 
        providing services for, or providing assistance to veterans or 
        any group of veterans, as determined by the Secretary; and
            (2) that is located in a rural area, as determined by the 
        Secretary.
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