I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4155 
To provide for rental assistance for homeless or at-risk Indian veterans, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 15, 2023 
Mr. COLE (for himself, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. CISCOMANI, Ms. MCCOL-
LUM, Mr. ZINKE, and Mr. MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To provide for rental assistance for homeless or at-risk 
Indian veterans, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tribal HUD–VASH 
Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. 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— 
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(1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub-
paragraph (E); and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph (D): 
‘‘(D) INDIAN VETERANS HOUSING RENTAL 
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(I) 
ELIGIBLE
INDIAN
VET-
ERAN.—The term ‘eligible Indian vet-
eran’ means an Indian veteran who 
is— 
‘‘(aa) homeless or at risk of 
homelessness; and 
‘‘(bb) living— 
‘‘(AA) on or near a res-
ervation; 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 
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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-Deter-
mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 
4103). 
‘‘(IV) INDIAN
VETERAN.—The 
term ‘Indian veteran’ means an In-
dian who is a veteran. 
‘‘(V) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Pro-
gram’ 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 may use up to 5 percent of 
the amounts made available for rental as-
sistance under this paragraph to carry out 
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a 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 Sec-
retary shall model the Program on the 
rental assistance and supported hous-
ing program authorized under sub-
paragraph (A) and applicable appro-
priations Acts, including administra-
tion in conjunction with the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(II) EXCEPTIONS.— 
‘‘(aa) SECRETARY OF HOUS-
ING
AND
URBAN
DEVELOP-
MENT.—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 
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of the Program by eligible recipi-
ents to serve eligible Indian vet-
erans. 
‘‘(bb) SECRETARY
OF
VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS.—After consulta-
tion with Indian tribes, eligible 
recipients, and any other appro-
priate tribal organizations, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may make necessary and appro-
priate modifications to facilitate 
the use of the Program by eligi-
ble recipients to serve eligible In-
dian 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 Sec-
retary shall award grants under the Pro-
gram based on— 
‘‘(I) need; 
‘‘(II) administrative capacity; and 
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‘‘(III) any other funding criteria 
established by the Secretary in a no-
tice published in the Federal Register 
after consulting with the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(vi) 
ADMINISTRATION.—Grants 
awarded under the Program shall be ad-
ministered in accordance with the Native 
American Housing Assistance and Self-De-
termination 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 as-
sistance provided under the Program; 
and 
‘‘(II) provide to the Secretary in-
formation specified by the Secretary 
to assess the effectiveness of the Pro-
gram in serving eligible Indian vet-
erans. 
‘‘(vii) CONSULTATION.— 
‘‘(I) GRANT RECIPIENTS; TRIBAL 
ORGANIZATIONS.—The Secretary, in 
coordination with the Secretary of 
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Veterans Affairs, shall consult with el-
igible recipients and any other appro-
priate tribal organization on the de-
sign of the Program to ensure the ef-
fective delivery of rental assistance 
and supportive services to eligible In-
dian veterans under the Program. 
‘‘(II) INDIAN
HEALTH
SERV-
ICE.—The Director of the Indian 
Health Service shall provide any as-
sistance 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 Sec-
retary may waive or specify alter-
native 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 al-
ternative requirement is necessary for 
the effective delivery and administra-
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tion of rental assistance under the 
Program to eligible Indian veterans. 
‘‘(II) 
EXCEPTION.—The 
Sec-
retary may not waive or specify alter-
native requirements under subclause 
(I) for any provision of law (including 
regulations) relating to labor stand-
ards or the environment. 
‘‘(ix) RENEWAL
GRANTS.—The Sec-
retary 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 re-
cipients that received a grant under 
the Program in a previous year; and 
‘‘(II) specify criteria that an eli-
gible recipient must satisfy to receive 
a renewal grant under subclause (I), 
including providing data on how the 
eligible recipient used the amounts of 
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any grant previously received under 
the Program. 
‘‘(x) REPORTING.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this 
subparagraph, and every 5 years there-
after, the Secretary, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Director of the Indian Health Service, 
shall— 
‘‘(I) conduct a review of the im-
plementation of the Program, includ-
ing any factors that may have limited 
its success; and 
‘‘(II) submit a report describing 
the results of the review under sub-
clause (II) to— 
‘‘(aa) the Committee on In-
dian Affairs, the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs, the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs, and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the 
Senate; and 
‘‘(bb) the Subcommittee for 
Indian and Insular Affairs of the 
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Committee on Natural Resources, 
the 
Committee 
on 
Financial 
Services, the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs, and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives. 
‘‘(xi) IMPACT ON FORMULA CURRENT 
ASSISTED
STOCK.—For a given fiscal 
year’s allocation formula of the Native 
American Housing Block Grants program, 
as authorized under title I of NAHASDA 
(25 U.S.C. 4111 et seq.), the number of 
qualifying low-income housing dwelling 
units 
under 
section 
302(b)(1) 
of 
NAHASDA (25 U.S.C. 4152(b)(1)) shall 
not be reduced due to the placement of an 
eligible 
Indian 
veteran 
assisted 
with 
amounts provided under the Tribal HUD– 
VASH Program within such qualifying 
units.’’. 
Æ 
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