I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4359 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to guarantee housing loans for the construction energy efficient 

dwellings, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 16, 2009 

Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself and Mr. WALZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to guarantee housing loans 

for the construction energy efficient dwellings, 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 ‘‘Warriors Adapting 

5 Residences with Mortgages for Energy Renovations Act’’ 

6 or the ‘‘WARMER Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOUSING 

2 LOANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ENERGY EF3 FICIENT DWELLINGS. 

4 (a) LOANS AUTHORIZED.—Section 3710(d) of title 

5 38, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in8 serting ‘‘(A) The Secretary’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘for the acquisition of’’ 

10 and all that follows through the end and insert11 ing ‘‘for any of the following purposes:’’; 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

13 clauses: 

14 ‘‘(i) The acquisition of an existing dwelling and 

15 the cost of making energy efficiency improvements 

16 to the dwelling. 

17 ‘‘(ii) The construction of a new dwelling and 

18 the cost of making energy efficiency improvements 

19 to the dwelling. 

20 ‘‘(iii) Energy efficiency improvements to a 

21 dwelling owned and occupied by a veteran.’’; and 

22 (D) by adding at the end the following new 

23 subparagraphs: 

24 ‘‘(B) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, 

25 a loan may be guaranteed under this subsection only if 

26 it meets the requirements of this chapter. 


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1 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall determine appropriate en2 ergy efficiency standards for purposes of this subsection 

3 and shall require that dwellings purchased, constructed, 

4 or improved using a loan guaranteed under this subsection 

5 meet such standards.’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the greater 

7 of’’ and all that follows through the period and in8 serting ‘‘five percent of the total established value of 

9 the property, dwelling, and improvements, unless the 

10 Secretary specifically provides for a higher 

11 amount.’’; and 

12 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

13 (6) as paragraphs (4) through (7), respectively, and 

14 inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 

15 paragraph (3): 

16 ‘‘(3) In order to determine the value of energy effi17 ciency improvements made to a dwelling using a loan 

18 guaranteed under this subsection, the Secretary shall 

19 adopt existing applicable Federal standards and valuation 

20 programs.’’; and 

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3710(d), as 

22 amended by subsection (a), is further amended in para23 graph (5), as redesignated by subsection (a)(3), by strik24 ing ‘‘paragraph (3)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

25 (4)(B)’’. 


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1 (c) REGULATIONS.— 

2 (1) INTERIM POLICY GUIDANCE.—Not later 

3 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 

4 Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe 

5 interim policy guidance on energy efficiency audits 

6 and the conditions under which the performance of 

7 such audits may be included in the amount guaran8 teed by the Secretary under section 3710(d) of title 

9 38, United States Code, as amended by subsection 

10 (a). 

11 (2) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year 

12 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec13 retary shall prescribe regulations to carry out the 

14 amendments made by subsection (a). 

15 (3) ENERGY EFFICIENCY AUDIT DEFINED.— 

16 For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘energy 

17 efficiency audit’’ means a measurement of the ef18 fects of an improvement made to a dwelling for the 

19 purpose of reducing energy consumption or increas20 ing energy efficiency that is carried out by a cer21 tified professional auditor, as determined by the Sec22 retary. 


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1 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to a loan 

3 secured on or after October 1, 2010. 

Æ 


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