National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Active Legislation

NCHV reports on legislation in the United States Congress that would significantly impact veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This page lists bills that have been introduced in the 113th Congress, which convened in January 2013 and will run through calendar year 2014. Each bill number links to its summary page on the Library of Congress website, where the bill's full text and record of congressional action can be accessed. For more information on legislation, go to http://thomas.loc.gov.

Bills introduced in the House of Representatives
Bills introduced in the Senate

To contact your Senator, click here.
To contact your Congressperson, click here.
To review legislation introduced in the 112th Congress, click here.
To review legislation introduced in the 111th Congress, click here.

House of Representatives bills

H.R. 384 - Homes for Heroes Act of 2013
Sponsor: Rep. Al Green (D-TX)
Status: Referred to House Committee on Financial Services (1/23/13)

Establishes a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Directs the Secretaries of HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs to report annually to Congress with respect to veteran homelessness and housing assistance.

H.R. 385 - HAVEN Act
Sponsor: Rep. Al Green (D-TX)
Status: Referred to House Committee on Financial Services (1/23/13)

Directs the HUD Secretary to establish a pilot program for nonprofit organizations that primarily serve veterans or low-income individuals. Grants would be required to be used to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of disabled or low-income veterans.

H.R. 386 - Homes for Heroes Act of 2013
Sponsor: Rep. Al Green (D-TX)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, as well as the House Committee on Ways and Means (1/23/13)

Establishes a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families.
Amends the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to all homeless veterans, regardless of medical condition; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning.
Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations.
Requires the HUD Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans, and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the VA Secretary on HUD activities relating to veterans.

H.R. 897 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Subcommittee on Health (3/8/13)

Includes as a homeless veteran, for purposes of eligibility for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a veteran or veteran's family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

Senate bills

S.6 - Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2013
Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (1/22/13)

Extends through March 31, 2016, the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP).
Extends through March 31, 2016, additional VA rehabilitation programs for certain disabled veterans who have completed a VA rehabilitation program and have exhausted their rights to state unemployment benefits.
Extends through fiscal year (FY) 2015 the collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program.
Directs the VA Secretary to develop a single, unified federal web-based employment portal for veterans to access information on federal programs and activities concerning veterans employment, unemployment benefits, and training.
Directs the: (1) Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to award grants to hire veterans as firefighters, and (2) Attorney General (AG) to award grants to hire veterans as law enforcement officers.
Full summary from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) available here.

S. 62 - Check the Box for Homeless Veterans Act of 2013
Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (1/22/13)

Establishes the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund in the Treasury.
Allows individual taxpayers to designate a portion of their tax overpayments to the above fund, which would supplement proven federal programs for homeless and at-risk veterans and their families.

S. 140 - A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the work opportunity credit to certain recently discharged veterans, to improve the coordination of veteran job training services between the Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense, to require transparency for Executive departments in meeting the Government-wide goals for contracting with small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Finance (1/24/13)

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit to include recently discharged veterans.
Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard to inform military personnel who are discharged or released from active duty of the work opportunity tax credit and provide them with documentation relating to eligibility for and use of such credit.
Veterans Employment and Training Services Act of 2013 or the VETS Act - Requires the Secretaries of Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Defense to enter into an agreement to govern the coordination of veteran job training services. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs to prepare reports on the veteran job training programs of their respective departments.
Full summary from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) available here.

S. 287 - A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (2/12/13)

Includes as a homeless veteran, for purposes of eligibility for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a veteran or veteran's family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.