[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5714-S5715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6185. Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. Cramer) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr.
Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the
bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:
SEC. __. RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS OR AT-RISK INDIAN
VETERANS.
Section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E);
and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new
subparagraph (D):
``(D) Indian veterans housing rental assistance program.--
``(i) Definitions.--In this subparagraph:
``(I) Eligible indian veteran.--The term `eligible Indian
veteran' means an Indian veteran who is--
``(aa) homeless or at risk of homelessness; and
``(bb) living--
``(AA) on or near a reservation; or
``(BB) in or near any other Indian area.
``(II) Eligible recipient.--The term `eligible recipient'
means a recipient eligible to receive a grant under section
101 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4111).
``(III) Indian; indian area.--The terms `Indian' and
`Indian area' have the meanings given those terms in section
4 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103).
``(IV) Indian veteran.--The term `Indian veteran' means an
Indian who is a veteran.
``(V) Program.--The term `Program' means the Tribal HUD-
VASH program carried out under clause (ii).
``(VI) Tribal organization.--The term `tribal organization'
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5304).
``(ii) Program specifications.--The Secretary shall use not
less than 5 percent of the amounts made available for rental
assistance under this paragraph to carry out a
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rental assistance and supported housing program, to be known
as the `Tribal HUD-VASH program', in conjunction with the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, by awarding grants for the
benefit of eligible Indian veterans.
``(iii) Model.--
``(I) In general.--Except as provided in subclause (II),
the Secretary shall model the Program on the rental
assistance and supported housing program authorized under
subparagraph (A) and applicable appropriations Acts,
including administration in conjunction with the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs.
``(II) Exceptions.--
``(aa) Secretary of housing and urban development.--After
consultation with Indian tribes, eligible recipients, and any
other appropriate tribal organizations, the Secretary may
make necessary and appropriate modifications to facilitate
the use of the Program by eligible recipients to serve
eligible Indian veterans.
``(bb) Secretary of veterans affairs.--After consultation
with Indian tribes, eligible recipients, and any other
appropriate tribal organizations, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs may make necessary and appropriate modifications to
facilitate the use of the Program by eligible recipients to
serve eligible Indian veterans.
``(iv) Eligible recipients.--The Secretary shall make
amounts for rental assistance and associated administrative
costs under the Program available in the form of grants to
eligible recipients.
``(v) Funding criteria.--The Secretary shall award grants
under the Program based on--
``(I) need;
``(II) administrative capacity; and
``(III) any other funding criteria established by the
Secretary in a notice published in the Federal Register after
consulting with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(vi) Administration.--Grants awarded under the Program
shall be administered in accordance with the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25
U.S.C. 4101 et seq.), except that recipients shall--
``(I) submit to the Secretary, in a manner prescribed by
the Secretary, reports on the utilization of rental
assistance provided under the Program; and
``(II) provide to the Secretary information specified by
the Secretary to assess the effectiveness of the Program in
serving eligible Indian veterans.
``(vii) Consultation.--
``(I) Grant recipients; tribal organizations.--The
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, shall consult with eligible recipients and any other
appropriate tribal organization on the design of the Program
to ensure the effective delivery of rental assistance and
supportive services to eligible Indian veterans under the
Program.
``(II) Indian health service.--The Director of the Indian
Health Service shall provide any assistance requested by the
Secretary or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in carrying
out the Program.
``(viii) Waiver.--
``(I) In general.--Except as provided in subclause (II),
the Secretary may waive or specify alternative requirements
for any provision of law (including regulations) that the
Secretary administers in connection with the use of rental
assistance made available under the Program if the Secretary
finds that the waiver or alternative requirement is necessary
for the effective delivery and administration of rental
assistance under the Program to eligible Indian veterans.
``(II) Exception.--The Secretary may not waive or specify
alternative requirements under subclause (I) for any
provision of law (including regulations) relating to labor
standards or the environment.
``(ix) Renewal grants.--The Secretary may--
``(I) set aside, from amounts made available for tenant-
based rental assistance under this subsection and without
regard to the amounts used for new grants under clause (ii),
such amounts as may be necessary to award renewal grants to
eligible recipients that received a grant under the Program
in a previous year; and
``(II) specify criteria that an eligible recipient must
satisfy to receive a renewal grant under subclause (I),
including providing data on how the eligible recipient used
the amounts of any grant previously received under the
Program.
``(x) Reporting.--
``(I) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2023, and every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs and the Director of the Indian Health Service,
shall--
``(aa) conduct a review of the implementation of the
Program, including any factors that may have limited its
success; and
``(bb) submit a report describing the results of the review
under item (aa) to--
``(AA) the Committee on Indian Affairs, the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate; and
``(BB) the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the
United States of the Committee on Natural Resources, the
Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
``(II) Analysis of housing stock limitation.--The Secretary
shall include in the initial report submitted under subclause
(I) a description of--
``(aa) any regulations governing the use of formula current
assisted stock (as defined in section 1000.314 of title 24,
Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation))
within the Program;
``(bb) the number of recipients of grants under the Program
that have reported the regulations described in item (aa) as
a barrier to implementation of the Program; and
``(cc) proposed alternative legislation or regulations
developed by the Secretary in consultation with recipients of
grants under the Program to allow the use of formula current
assisted stock within the Program.''.
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