[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5781 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5781

  To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to ensure that certain 
educational benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
    are treated as income by landlords evaluating the ability of a 
  servicemember, veteran, or a spouse or child of a servicemember or 
                         veteran, to pay rent.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2018

  Mr. Crowley (for himself, Mr. Banks of Indiana, Mr. Meeks, and Mr. 
  Espaillat) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to ensure that certain 
educational benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
    are treated as income by landlords evaluating the ability of a 
  servicemember, veteran, or a spouse or child of a servicemember or 
                         veteran, to pay rent.

    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 ``Students Living Irrespective of 
Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2018'' or the ``Students LIVE 
Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BENEFITS IN 
              DETERMINING INCOME FOR PURPOSES OF ENTERING INTO 
              RESIDENTIAL LEASES.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 
(50 U.S.C. 3951 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new section:

``SEC. 309. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              BENEFITS IN DETERMINING INCOME FOR PURPOSES OF ENTERING 
              INTO RESIDENTIAL LEASES.

    ``(a) Protection.--In determining whether a covered individual has 
an income sufficient to enter into a lease of premises for a 
residential purpose, the landlord (or other person with paramount 
title) of the premises shall treat any benefits received by the covered 
individual under any of chapters 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, or 36 of title 
38, United States Code, or chapters 1606 or 1607 of title 10, United 
States Code, as income.
    ``(b) Misdemeanor.--A person who knowingly takes an action contrary 
to this section, or attempts to do so, shall be fined as provided in 
title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than one year, 
or both.
    ``(c) Covered Individual Defined.--In this section, the term 
`covered individual' means a servicemember, veteran, or a spouse or 
child of a servicemember or veteran.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents at the beginning of 
such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 308 
the following new item:

``Sec. 309. Treatment of certain Department of Veterans Affairs 
                            benefits in determining income for purposes 
                            of entering into residential leases.''.
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