[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 145 (Monday, September 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S13742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WELLSTONE:
  S. 1257. A bill to amend the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance 
Act to reauthorize programs relating to homeless assistance for 
veterans; to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


 the stewart b. mckinney homeless assistance act amendment act of 1995

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, to save a highly cost effective 
and vital program that assists homeless veterans to find employment, I 
am today introducing a bill that would reauthorize the Homeless 
Veterans Employment Program [HVEP]--formerly called the Homeless 
Veterans Reintegration Project--for 3 years.
  As some of you may recall, during the debate on H.R. 1944, the 
rescissions bill, I expressed my dismay and strong opposition to the 
zeroing out of this low-cost national program--funded at just over $5 
million annually--that is so important to homeless veterans. In view of 
the fact that up to one-third of America's homeless are veterans--an 
estimated 271,000 can be found on the streets any given night--and 
Minnesota veterans have often told me about the effectiveness of HVEP, 
I was appalled when I learned that the program had fallen victim to a 
late-night leadership agreement with the administration on the 
rescissions package.
  Since it is such a small program, many of your may be unaware of 
HVEP's background and its impressive accomplishments. HVEP, which is 
administered by the Labor Department's Veterans Employment and Training 
Service, is a job-placement program begun in fiscal year 1989. HVEP 
provides grants to community based groups that employ flexible and 
innovative approaches to assist homeless, unemployed veterans to 
reenter the work force. Let me repeat--grants to community-based 
groups, not funding to some large impersonal Federal bureaucracy that 
some of my colleagues regularly deride.
  Permit me to briefly point out some of HVEP's strengths and 
accomplishments: It is one of the most successful job placement 
programs in the Federal Government. Since its inception it has placed 
11,000 veterans into jobs at approximately $1,000 per placement. HVEP 
grantees build complimentary relationships with VA, Job Training 
Partnership Act, and other programs--they do not duplicate any other 
services. HVEP is critical to the implementation and success of the 
innovative standdown projects that are held across the country.
  I have had the good fortune of attending several Minnesota 
standdowns, including one recently, and I have been consistently 
impressed with the effectiveness of this volunteer program of veterans 
helping homeless veterans. I've been deeply moved by the sight of 
veterans doing all they can to help their less fortunate buddies--
veterans exerting themselves to care for homeless veterans whom the 
rest of society tends to ignore and, sometimes even scorn. Standdowns 
are a unique point of light that need to be nourished, not strangled. 
And the same is true for the HVEP itself.

  In conclusion, I want to stress that the $5 million saved annually by 
terminating HVEP will quickly be offset by the enormous costs of 
providing public assistance to the veterans who will remain homeless 
due to the lack of a paying job. Reauthorization of HVEP will permit us 
to meet our obligation to men and women who fought bravely and 
unquestioningly for our country, but who are desperately seeking work 
to escape the misery and indignities of homelessness.
  Mr. President, I ask that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1257

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. JOB PLACEMENT FOR HOMELESS VETERANS.

       (a) Homeless Veteran Employment Program.--Section 738(e)(1) 
     of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
     11448(e)(1)) is amended by striking out subparagraphs (A), 
     (B), and (C) and inserting in lieu thereof the following new 
     subparagraphs:
       ``(A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1996.
       ``(B) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.
       ``(C) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       (b) General Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 
     739(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 11449(a)) is amended by 
     striking out ``fiscal years 1994 and 1995'' and inserting in 
     lieu thereof ``fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998''.
       (c) Extension of Program.--Section 741 of such Act (42 
     U.S.C. 11450) is amended by striking out ``October 1, 1995'' 
     and inserting in lieu thereof ``October 1, 1998''.
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect on October 1, 1995.
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