[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 83 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4263-H4265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HOMELESS VETERANS' REINTEGRATION PROGRAMS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4451) to amend title 38, United States Code, to
provide for a five-year extension to the homeless veterans
reintegration programs and to provide clarification regarding
eligibility for services under such programs, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4451
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 ``Homeless Veterans'
Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION
PROGRAMS.
(a) Five-Year Extension of Homeless Veterans Reintegration
Programs.--Section 2021(e)(1)(F) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by striking ``2018'' and inserting ``2022''.
(b) Five-Year Extension of Homeless Women Veterans and
Homeless Veterans With Children Reintegration Grant
Program.--Section 2021A(f)(1) of such title is amended by
striking ``2018'' and inserting ``2022''.
(c) Clarification of Eligibility for Services Under
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs.--Section 2021(a) of
such title is amended by striking ``reintegration of homeless
veterans into the labor force.'' and inserting the following:
``reintegration into the labor force of--
``(1) homeless veterans (including veterans who were
homeless but found housing during the 60-day period preceding
the date on which the veteran begins to participate in a
program under this section);
``(2) veterans participating in the Department of Veterans
Affairs supported housing program for which rental assistance
is provided pursuant to section 8(o)(19) of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) or the Tribal
HUD-VA Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) program;
``(3) Indians who are veterans and receiving assistance
under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.);
``(4) veterans described in section 2023(e) of this title
or any other veterans who are transitioning from being
incarcerated; and
``(5) veterans participating in the Department of Veterans
Affairs rapid rehousing and prevention program authorized in
section 2044 of this title.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 4451, as
amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
[[Page H4264]]
There was no objection.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4451, as amended. This
bill would reauthorize the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program,
known as HVRP, and Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans With
Children Reintegration Grant Program, through fiscal year 2022.
These are grant programs managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's
Veterans Employment and Training Service. Grants are made generally to
nonprofit, community-based organizations to fund efforts to train and
place homeless veterans in jobs.
This has been a highly successful program that puts homeless veterans
back on the path to self-reliance and sustainability and is worthy of
Congress' continued support and funding.
This bill would also clarify that homeless veterans who are eligible
for other federally funded homeless veteran programs are also eligible
to receive training and employment services provided by grantees
through HVRP and HVRP-W.
I believe that expanding eligibility for HVRP and HVRP-W will provide
participants in these programs better access to job training programs
that can help homeless veterans on their path to sustainable employment
and positive outcomes. This expansion would also occur without
impacting current authorization levels for this program.
I want to thank Congressman Wenstrup and Congresswoman Brownley for
introducing this must-pass bill, which has my full support.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4451, as amended,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4451, and thank the gentleman
and everyone involved in this piece of legislation. Veteran
homelessness, combating it and reducing it to zero, has been a focus of
this committee for many years.
Direct services provided by HVRP include placement, skills training,
job development, career counseling, and resume writing. It is the only
nationwide program focused on assisting homeless veterans in
reintegrating into the workforce. This is incredibly important because
reintegrating homeless veterans into the workforce is the best way to
ensure that they do not reenter homelessness again.
This would reauthorize the program for 5 years. Reducing veteran
homelessness remains our priority. I believe this piece of legislation
will get us there.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), who is my Health Subcommittee chair.
Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and
Chairman Roe for yielding.
In November of last year, I joined my colleague and the ranking
member of the Health Subcommittee, Representative Brownley, in
reintroducing H.R. 4451, the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs
Reauthorization Act.
This bill would provide much-needed services to our veterans
transitioning out of homelessness and ensure no veteran falls through
unintended legislative gaps in programs. We do this by reauthorizing
through fiscal year 2022 the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program,
along with programs designed for female homeless veterans and homeless
veterans with children. Additionally, the bill would clarify that those
eligible for housing assistance from either a Federal or non-Federal
entity are also eligible for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration
Program.
Currently, a gap arises because the Department of Labor considers
veterans participating in these housing assistance programs to no
longer be defined as homeless. As such, they are unable to participate
in the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, a program that
provides vital employment assistance and training.
By prioritizing the reintegration of homeless and recently homeless
veterans, we will empower our veterans to reenter the workforce and
help them regain self-sufficiency.
{time} 1645
Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and we must
ensure that they have the tools to succeed in civilian life.
I am proud of Chairman Roe's and the House Veterans' Affairs
Committee's commitment to reducing veteran homelessness, and I believe
that this legislation only further supports this committee's goals.
I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation.
Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend. She is a true champion of
veterans and is the conscience on this issue in our committee of
alleviating veterans' homelessness.
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Minnesota for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4451, the Homeless
Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act.
I thank the gentleman from Ohio, the chair of the House Veterans'
Affairs Health Subcommittee, for partnering with me to introduce this
important legislation.
Our Nation's servicemembers undertake enormous sacrifices every day
to keep us safe, and we must ensure they can smoothly transition back
into civilian life when they come home. Unfortunately, however, too
many of our returning servicemembers are struggling with homelessness.
In 2017, HUD's annual survey found that veteran homelessness
increased by 1.5 percent after years of declining percentages. Los
Angeles County, which I represent a part of, saw a 57 percent increase
in the number of homeless veterans just in the past year.
While our local partners are committed to working together with the
VA and other Federal agencies to ensure all veterans have access to
safe and affordable housing, clearly, we need to be using every tool in
our toolbox to end veteran homelessness completely. That means
supporting both the housing programs and wraparound services necessary
to heal and to house our veterans.
Today's legislation will allow veterans who have struggled with
homelessness to remain eligible for job services while utilizing VA
housing programs. This will help more veterans break the cycle of
homelessness, support themselves and their families, and get back on
their feet.
Again, I thank the chairman for championing this issue together, and
the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans for highlighting this
problem in testimony before the committee, and for their support of the
bill.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio
and the gentlewoman from California for addressing this. It is a smart
move to do this, continuing to keep our focus. While our numbers are
improving in areas, we know this is a zero-sum proposition. Any veteran
on the street is one too many. So I appreciate any effort that is made.
This is a good piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this piece of
legislation.
When I came to Congress in 2009, there were over 100,0000 homeless
veterans in the United States. General Shinseki, our Secretary at that
time, set out to eliminate veteran homelessness in the next 6 or 7
years. It was a very ambitious task. Great progress has been made.
I have visited the West L.A. campus and seen what they are doing in
Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. As my good friend, Tim Walz, said,
one homeless veteran is one too many.
For people who may be watching this today, we as a country are
providing HUD-VASH vouchers for veterans who can use these, along with
a case manager. But that is only part of it. Many of these veterans
have many other issues and there are other programs that need to be
available for these men
[[Page H4265]]
and women who find themselves in this situation. This is one of them
where you can access job training so you can get a meaningful job and
take care of yourself. Actually, I think this program and the other one
end up paying for themselves over time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues to support this, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4451,
Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2017.
H.R. 4451 proposes an amendment to Title 38 of the United States Code
to provide for a five-year extension to homeless veterans reintegration
programs and to provide clarification regarding eligibility for
services under such programs.
This bill includes the reauthorization of reintegration programs
among those for whom job training, counseling, and placement services
are to be provided to expedite their reintegration into the labor
force.
These services provided to homeless veterans include the VA supported
housing program, assistance under the Native American Housing
Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996, transitioning from being
incarcerated, and participating in the VA's rapid re-housing and
homelessness prevention program.
Mr. Speaker, our United States veterans bravely put their lives on
the line to defend our freedoms and to keep our nation safe.
Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen,
marines and Coast Guardsmen and women and their families, our country
would not live so freely.
Homelessness among the American veteran population is on the rise in
the United States and we must be proactive in giving back to those who
have given so much to us.
We as a nation have a responsibility to our veterans to provide
programs that aid in their reintegration back into the labor force.
Nearly 230,000 veterans and their families have been able to come
back from homeless and find permanent homes since 2010.
By passing H.R. 4451, homeless veterans will receive assistance to
enhance their quality of life and community integration.
I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 4451.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 4451, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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