I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5135 

To give priority in allocation of rental assistance vouchers under the Veterans 

Affairs Supported Housing program of the Department of Housing and 

Urban Development to areas having the largest populations of homeless 

veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2019 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To give priority in allocation of rental assistance vouchers 

under the Veterans Affairs Supported Housing program 

of the Department of Housing and Urban Development 

to areas having the largest populations of homeless veterans, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Housing Homeless 

5 Veterans Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ALLOCATION OF HUD–VASH VOUCHERS. 

2 (a) AMENDMENT TO VASH PROGRAM.—Paragraph 

3 (19) of section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 

4 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by adding at 

5 the end the following new subparagraphs: 

6 ‘‘(D) ALLOCATION CRITERIA.—Notwith7 standing any other provision of law (including 

8 paragraph (6) under the heading ‘Public and 

9 Indian Housing—Tenant-Based Rental Assist10 ance’ in title II of division K of Public Law 

11 115–31), in making amounts for assistance 

12 under this paragraph available among public 

13 housing agencies in each fiscal year, the Sec14 retary shall give priority to public housing 

15 agencies that— 

16 ‘‘(i) serve areas having the highest 

17 numbers of homeless veterans; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) have fully utilized their available 

19 funds under this paragraph for the pre20 ceding fiscal year and have a demonstrated 

21 need for incremental assistance under this 

22 paragraph. 

23 ‘‘(E) REALLOCATION OF UNUSED VOUCH24 ERS FOR VASH ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) RECAPTURE AND REALLOCA2 TION.—Notwithstanding any other provi3 sion of law, the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(I) recapture from any public 

5 housing agency described in clause (ii) 

6 any amounts of assistance provided 

7 under this paragraph to the agency 

8 that are not— 

9 ‘‘(aa) under lease after 24 

10 months; 

11 ‘‘(bb) committed under an 

12 agreement to enter into a hous13 ing assistance payments contract; 

14 or 

15 ‘‘(cc) committed, under a 

16 commitment of award letter that 

17 has been approved by the board 

18 of governors or other similar gov19 erning body of the public housing 

20 agency, for project-based voucher 

21 assistance for a project; and 

22 ‘‘(II) reallocate any recaptured 

23 amounts to public housing authorities 

24 that have leased their entire allocation 

25 of assistance under this paragraph. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) AGENCIES SUBJECT TO RECAP2 TURE.—An agency described in this clause 

3 is an agency whose jurisdiction is located 

4 within an area within which the homeless 

5 population has decreased, according to the 

6 point-in-time information of the Secretary 

7 for the two most recent reporting periods 

8 for such information.’’. 

9 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by sub10 section (a) shall apply to amounts made available— 

11 (1) by paragraph (6) under the heading ‘‘Public 

12 and Indian Housing—Tenant-Based Rental Assist13 ance’’ in title II of division K of Public Law 115– 

14 31, to the extent such amounts remain unobligated 

15 as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and 

16 (2) by any other provision of law enacted after 

17 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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