[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1176-H1179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGAL SERVICES FOR HOMELESS VETERANS ACT
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3749) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to entities that provide
legal services for homeless veterans and veterans at risk for
homelessness, and for other purposes, as amended.
[[Page H1177]]
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3749
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 ``Legal Services for Homeless
Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. LEGAL SERVICES FOR HOMELESS VETERANS AND VETERANS AT
RISK FOR HOMELESSNESS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 20 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by inserting after section 2022 the
following new section:
``Sec. 2022A. Legal services for homeless veterans and
veterans at risk for homelessness
``(a) Grants.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations provided for such purpose, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall make grants to eligible entities that
provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at
risk for homelessness.
``(b) Criteria.--(1) The Secretary shall--
``(A) establish criteria and requirements for grants under
this section, including criteria for entities eligible to
receive such grants; and
``(B) publish such criteria and requirements in the Federal
Register.
``(2) In establishing criteria and requirements under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
``(A) take into consideration any criteria and requirements
needed with respect to carrying out this section in rural
communities, Tribal lands, and the territories and
possessions of the United States; and
``(B) consult with organizations that have experience in
providing services to homeless veterans, including veterans
service organizations, the Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps
Veterans Legal Corps, and other organizations the Secretary
determines appropriate.
``(c) Eligible Entities.--The Secretary may make a grant
under this section to an entity applying for such a grant
only if the applicant for the grant--
``(1) is a public or nonprofit private entity with the
capacity (as determined by the Secretary) to effectively
administer a grant under this section;
``(2) demonstrates that adequate financial support will be
available to carry out the services for which the grant is
sought consistent with the application;
``(3) agrees to meet the applicable criteria and
requirements established under subsection (b)(1); and
``(4) has, as determined by the Secretary, demonstrated the
capacity to meet such criteria and requirements.
``(d) Use of Funds.--Grants under this section shall be
used to provide homeless veterans and veterans at risk for
homelessness the following legal services:
``(1) Legal services related to housing, including eviction
defense, representation in landlord-tenant cases, and
representation in foreclosure cases.
``(2) Legal services related to family law, including
assistance in court proceedings for child support, divorce,
estate planning, and family reconciliation.
``(3) Legal services related to income support, including
assistance in obtaining public benefits.
``(4) Legal services related to criminal defense, including
defense in matters symptomatic of homelessness, such as
outstanding warrants, fines, and driver's license revocation,
to reduce recidivism and facilitate the overcoming of reentry
obstacles in employment or housing.
``(5) Legal services related to requests to upgrade the
characterization of a discharge or dismissal of a former
member of the Armed Forces under section 1553 of title 10.
``(6) Such other legal services as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
``(e) Funds for Women Veterans.--For any fiscal year, not
less than ten percent of the amount authorized to be
appropriated for grants under this section shall be used to
provide legal services described in subsection (d) to women
veterans.
``(f) Reports.--On a biennial basis, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a report on grants under this
section. To the extent feasible, each such report shall
include the following with respect to the year covered by the
report:
``(1) The number of homeless veterans and veterans at risk
for homelessness assisted.
``(2) A description of the legal services provided.
``(3) A description of the legal matters addressed.
``(4) An analysis by the Secretary with respect to the
operational effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the
services provided.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 2022 the following new item:
``2022A. Legal services for homeless veterans and veterans at risk for
homelessness.''.
(c) Criteria.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall establish the criteria and requirements in the Federal
Register pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of section 2022A of
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a).
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR VETERAN
FAMILIES GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
THAT HAVE A FOCUS ON PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO
WOMEN VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Section 2044(e) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(4) There is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024 for the provision
of financial assistance under subsection (a) to organizations
that have a focus on providing assistance to women veterans
and their families.''.
SEC. 4. GAP ANALYSIS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN
VETERANS WHO ARE HOMELESS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
complete an analysis of programs of the Department of
Veterans Affairs that provide assistance to women veterans
who are homeless or precariously housed to identify the areas
in which such programs are failing to meet the needs of such
women.
(b) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a report on the analysis completed under
subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P.
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 3749, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3749, as amended, the Legal
Services for Homeless Veterans Act.
Over the past decade, Congress and the Obama and Trump
administrations have prioritized ending veteran homelessness. However,
while rates of veteran homelessness have fallen, even one veteran
without shelter is unacceptable.
This committee is committed to providing services to prevent
homelessness and to assist veterans who become homeless by providing
them housing and access to healthcare and social services.
According to the Project CHALENG, otherwise known as Community
Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups, and VA
survey, legal services are one of the top unmet needs for homeless
veterans. H.R. 3749 directly addresses that need.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 3749, as amended, is sponsored by Congressman
Panetta and includes legislation authored by Congresswoman Beatty,
Congresswoman Wild, and Congressman Levin. It authorizes VA to provide
grants or enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities that
provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for
homelessness.
The VA would be required to consult with organizations that have
experience providing services to homeless veterans when establishing
these criteria and requirements, and these grants or cooperative
agreements would only be available to highly rated public or nonprofit
entities.
Additionally, at least 10 percent of the funds made available each
fiscal year for this grant program must be reserved for providing legal
services to homeless women veterans. As we know, women veterans are the
fastest growing population of homeless veterans.
Finally, this legislation authorizes $20 million of the funding for
the Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant program to go to
organizations that assist homeless veterans with children. The SSVF
program has been one of the most effective tools to address veteran
homelessness since its creation by President Obama, and I thank this
administration and Congress for supporting it.
Madam Speaker, southern California is ground zero for addressing
veteran homelessness. Riverside, California, in my own district,
reached functional zero veteran homelessness, but many communities
surrounding my district need additional resources and programs
[[Page H1178]]
to reach functional zero. Providing legal services to veterans who need
them also prevents those veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless.
Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Panetta, Congresswoman Beatty,
Congresswoman Wild, and Congressman Levin, the chair of our Economic
Opportunity Subcommittee, for their advocacy and work to pass
legislation that will end veteran homelessness.
Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3749,
as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much
time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 3749, as amended, the
Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act.
This bill would authorize a new legal services grant program for
homeless veteran providers.
The Department of Veterans Affairs would administer this grant
program to organizations serving homeless veterans that provide legal
services for issues regarding housing, family matters, criminal
defense, and upgrading military discharges. Grantees would provide
these services to veterans who are or who are at risk of becoming
homeless.
This bill would also require that not less than 10 percent of grant
funds go toward providing legal services for veterans who are women.
The committee's oversight of the homeless program has found that
simple legal services can be a barrier to reintegration for the
homeless or at-risk veterans because they can prevent them from gaining
meaningful employment and stable housing.
I believe that providing grants to homeless veteran providers that
offer legal services to this vulnerable population would be providing
another avenue for these veterans to appropriately work through their
legal issues and, hopefully, move closer to independence.
The bill would also direct $20 million from VA's Supportive Services
for Veteran Families program to grantees that provide services
specifically for homeless women veterans.
It would further require an advanced study on what type of services
are available for homeless women veterans and how to ensure these
services are meeting their needs.
While I am supportive of this new program grant as well as the steps
the bill would take to help homeless women veterans, I am concerned
that there is no limit to the amount of medical service dollars that
could be spent on this new program. I worry that if we continue to use
the medical service account as a cash cow for new, unfunded priorities,
other veteran programs eventually could be negatively impacted.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Panetta), my good friend and also the author of H.R.
3749, a veteran himself.
Mr. PANETTA. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member.
I appreciate this opportunity to talk about something that both of
these gentlemen have discussed and support. I appreciate that, so I
thank the gentlemen very much.
Madam Speaker, today, I rise in support as well of H.R. 3749, the
Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act.
This is a bill that directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
provide grants to organizations that provide legal services to homeless
veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness.
The grant funds will be used to provide legal services related to
housing, such as legal services related to family law; legal services
related to income support; legal services related to criminal defense,
including defense in matters symptomatic of homelessness; and legal
services related to requests to upgrade discharge characterizations.
The legislation also authorizes appropriations of at least $20
million for additional aid to women veterans experiencing housing
instability and homelessness. As you heard from the chairman, women are
the fastest growing group not just of homeless veterans but in the
military and in our veterans' communities. And, as you heard, they are
more likely to be single parents.
While serving as a local prosecutor, before my time here in Congress,
in Monterey County, and working as a board member for the Veterans
Transition Center of Monterey County, an organization which offers
veterans not just transitional housing but, of course, case management
programs to get them up on their feet and back into the communities
where they can continue to serve, I worked firsthand with many veterans
who had certain legal issues that brought them to the brink or pushed
them right into, unfortunately, homelessness.
It is essential that Congress now ensure that our veterans are
properly supported, have access to legal aid, and, yes, get the
benefits that they have earned. We can then keep a roof over their
heads.
For veterans in my district and across this country, this bill will
provide them aid that really can help them during such events as
Veterans Stand Down, a biennial event that we have in our district that
provides much-needed legal assistance and helps our community's
veterans get back on solid ground, be accepted into housing, drive
legally, and make sure that they can find a job.
Madam Speaker, as a former veteran, I do urge my colleagues to
support my bill to provide veterans the resources necessary to help
them resolve legal issues and get back on their feet so that they can
get back to being an integral part of our community and, of course, our
country.
Finally, Madam Speaker, I thank the members of the For Country Caucus
for endorsing this legislation. As a co-chair and founder of this
caucus, the membership and I have worked to provide a platform for
military veteran members to work across the aisle, to improve
governance, and to enact productive policy, just like we have done
here.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to have this bill introduced through the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which I do believe does the exact same
thing, and I thank both of these gentlemen for bringing this bill to
the floor.
{time} 1645
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I strongly support this bill and appreciate Mr.
Panetta's leadership on it.
When I got to Congress in 2009, there were over 100,000 homeless
veterans in this country. That number has been reduced by 70 percent.
And, as the chairman said, zero is the right number; that is the
correct number of homeless veterans.
This will go a long way to reestablishing many other things that the
committee has done to help this, but this is a major step in helping
when you are trying to get legal services with a lease or with many
other things, with family issues.
I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I want to echo the sentiment of my colleague, Ranking
Member Roe. We have both said in public and acknowledged the tremendous
progress the VA has made in reducing homelessness. It began with the
commitment under President Obama and has been continued under President
Trump.
We have not done enough, I fear, to celebrate the tremendous
reduction in homelessness across our country with respect to veteran
homelessness. It still persists in my home State of California. We have
a number of initiatives teed up, which, I trust, we are going to
cooperate on.
The VA gets knocked around a lot for its shortcomings, but I have to
say that this is one of the accomplishments that we have to celebrate
more.
Mr. Panetta's bill, H.R. 3749, is a continuation of this work. I urge
all of my colleagues to join me in passing it, as amended, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3749, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
[[Page H1179]]
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________