[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4650 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4650

    To establish a rental assistance program for low-income veteran 
                   families, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2024

   Ms. Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a rental assistance program for low-income veteran 
                   families, 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 ``Housing for All Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME VETERAN RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(22) Low-income veteran rental assistance program.--
                    ``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Qualified veteran family.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--The term 
                                `qualified veteran family' means--
                                            ``(aa) for fiscal year 
                                        2025, a veteran family having 
                                        an income no higher than 50 
                                        percent of the applicable 
                                        income limitation for extremely 
                                        low-income families;
                                            ``(bb) for fiscal year 
                                        2026, a veteran family having 
                                        an income no higher than 75 
                                        percent of the applicable 
                                        income limitation for extremely 
                                        low-income families;
                                            ``(cc) for fiscal year 
                                        2027, an extremely low-income 
                                        veteran family;
                                            ``(dd) for fiscal year 
                                        2028, a very low-income veteran 
                                        family; and
                                            ``(ee) for fiscal year 2029 
                                        and thereafter, a low-income 
                                        veteran family.
                                    ``(II) Continuing eligibility.--The 
                                term `qualified veteran family' 
                                includes a veteran family that was 
                                initially assisted under this paragraph 
                                but no longer satisfies the 
                                requirements under subclause (I), 
                                provided that the income of the veteran 
                                family does not exceed 100 percent of 
                                the area median income.
                            ``(ii) Tribally designated housing 
                        entity.--The term `tribally designated housing 
                        entity' has the meaning given the term in 
                        section 4 of the Native American Housing 
                        Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 
                        (25 U.S.C. 4103).
                            ``(iii) Veteran.--The term `veteran'--
                                    ``(I) means a person who, 
                                regardless of length of service, was a 
                                member of the armed forces (as that 
                                term is defined in section 101 of title 
                                10, United States Code); and
                                    ``(II) does not include a person 
                                who--
                                            ``(aa) received a 
                                        dishonorable discharge from the 
                                        armed forces; or
                                            ``(bb) was discharged or 
                                        dismissed from the armed forces 
                                        by reason of the sentence of a 
                                        general court-martial.
                            ``(iv) Veteran family.--The term `veteran 
                        family' means--
                                    ``(I) a veteran who is a single 
                                person;
                                    ``(II) a family (including families 
                                with children) whose head of household 
                                (or whose spouse) is a veteran; and
                                    ``(III) 1 or more veterans living 
                                together with 1 or more persons.
                    ``(B) Entitlement to rental assistance.--
                            ``(i) Entitlement.--A qualified veteran 
                        family shall be entitled to rental assistance 
                        under this paragraph.
                            ``(ii) Access to assistance.--Each public 
                        housing agency administering assistance under 
                        this subsection shall ensure that--
                                    ``(I) any veteran family desiring 
                                to submit an application for assistance 
                                under this paragraph shall have the 
                                opportunity to do so; and
                                    ``(II) assistance under this 
                                paragraph shall be furnished with 
                                reasonable promptness to all qualified 
                                veteran families.
                    ``(C) Information regarding services.--The 
                Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
                Veterans Affairs, shall provide public housing agencies 
                assisting veteran families under this paragraph with 
                information regarding services available to veterans in 
                the area, and those public housing agencies shall 
                provide that information to all veteran families 
                assisted under this paragraph.
                    ``(D) Prohibition on discrimination.--
                            ``(i) In general.--An owner of 5 or more 
                        rental dwelling units may not refuse to lease 
                        any available unit to a holder of a voucher the 
                        funds for which are appropriated pursuant to 
                        this paragraph because of the status of the 
                        prospective tenant as a holder of such voucher.
                            ``(ii) Rule of construction.--This 
                        subparagraph may not be construed to preempt 
                        any law of any State or political subdivision 
                        thereof that provides more protection than this 
                        subparagraph.
                    ``(E) Verification of veteran status.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary, in 
                        consultation with the Secretary of Veterans 
                        Affairs, shall maintain an electronic process 
                        through which a public housing agency may 
                        verify the veteran status of any veteran family 
                        that applies for or receives rental assistance 
                        under this paragraph.
                            ``(ii) Waiver status.--The Secretary, in 
                        consultation with the Secretary of Veterans 
                        Affairs, may waive the exclusion described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(iii)(II) for purposes of 
                        eligibility for rental assistance under this 
                        paragraph for particular areas served by a 
                        public housing agency.
                    ``(F) Moving to work.--Sums appropriated pursuant 
                to this paragraph may not be used for or pursuant to 
                the Moving to Work demonstration program authorized 
                under section 204 of the Departments of Veterans 
                Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and 
                Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public 
                Law 104-134; 110 Stat. 1321).
                    ``(G) Compliance with income targeting 
                requirements.--Rental assistance provided under this 
                paragraph shall not be considered for the purpose of 
                determining compliance with the requirements of section 
                16(b).
                    ``(H) Exclusion of veteran disability benefits.--
                Disability benefits administered by the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs shall not be counted as income for the 
                purpose of determining whether a veteran family meets 
                the requirements to be a qualified veteran family under 
                subparagraph (A)(i).
                    ``(I) Administering agencies.--The Secretary shall 
                designate a public housing agency to administer 
                assistance under this paragraph in any area where no 
                existing public housing agency has jurisdiction or 
                where no public housing agency is adequately 
                administering such assistance, subject to public 
                comment and after consultation with States, public 
                housing agencies, local governments, Indian tribes, and 
                tribally designated housing entities.
                    ``(J) Transition.--No veteran receiving rental 
                assistance under this subsection on the date of 
                enactment of this paragraph shall be subject to any 
                redetermination of eligibility as a result of the 
                enactment of this paragraph.
                    ``(K) Supported housing.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Notwithstanding this 
                        paragraph, all vouchers made available by law 
                        for the supported housing program administered 
                        by the Secretary in conjunction with the 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs under paragraph 
                        (19) shall continue to be included in that 
                        supported housing program.
                            ``(ii) Referrals.--Public housing agencies 
                        shall refer veterans assisted under this 
                        paragraph to the supported housing program 
                        under paragraph (19) if the public housing 
                        agency determines that assistance through that 
                        program would be appropriate for the veteran.
                    ``(L) Service fees.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Public housing agencies 
                        administering assistance under this paragraph 
                        shall be eligible to receive service fees to 
                        cover costs of assisting qualified veteran 
                        families to successfully lease units with 
                        assistance under this paragraph, as determined 
                        by the Secretary.
                            ``(ii) Amount.--The amount of service fees 
                        under this subparagraph shall not exceed $4,000 
                        for each applicant household determined to be 
                        eligible for assistance under this paragraph, 
                        except that such amount shall be adjusted for 
                        inflation annually by the Secretary in 
                        accordance with an inflationary index selected 
                        by the Secretary.
                    ``(M) Authorization and permanent appropriation.--
                For fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fiscal year, 
                there is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury 
                not otherwise appropriated, for the Secretary to carry 
                out this paragraph, such sums as may be necessary to 
                provide rental assistance for all qualified veteran 
                families entitled to assistance under this paragraph, 
                administrative fees under subsection (q) associated 
                with such rental assistance, and service fees under 
                subparagraph (L) of this paragraph.
                    ``(N) Relation to existing voucher programs.--
                            ``(i) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts 
                        appropriated under subparagraph (M) shall 
                        supplement, and not supplant, amounts otherwise 
                        made available for rental assistance under this 
                        subsection, including amounts made available 
                        under paragraph (19).
                            ``(ii) Rule of construction.--Nothing in 
                        this paragraph shall be construed to affect the 
                        number of vouchers for rental assistance 
                        otherwise provided under this subsection, 
                        including under paragraph (19).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take 
effect on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the fiscal 
year during which this section was enacted.
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