I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2218 
To amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to set- 
aside community development block grant amounts in each fiscal year 
for grants to local chapters of veterans service organizations for rehabili-
tation of, and technology for, their facilities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2015 
Mr. COLLINS of New York (for himself, Mr. ROTHFUS, and Mr. KING of New 
York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To amend the Housing and Community Development Act 
of 1974 to set-aside community development block grant 
amounts in each fiscal year for grants to local chapters 
of veterans service organizations for rehabilitation of, 
and technology for, their facilities. 
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 ‘‘Renovate and Enhance 
Veterans’ Meeting Halls and Posts Act of 2015’’ or the 
‘‘REVAMP Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO VETERANS SERVICE OR-
GANIZATIONS FOR FACILITY REHABILITA-
TION AND TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) GRANTS.—Section 107 of the Housing and Com-
munity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5307) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(g) COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO VETERANS SERVICE 
ORGANIZATIONS
FOR FACILITY REHABILITATION
AND 
UPGRADING TECHNOLOGY.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY; ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITIES
AND 
USES.—Using the amounts made available under 
section 106(a)(4) in each fiscal year for grants 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall make 
grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible veterans 
service organizations, which grant amounts shall be 
available for use only for— 
‘‘(A) repairs or rehabilitation of existing 
facilities of such organizations; and 
‘‘(B) acquiring or upgrading computers 
and technology for such facilities. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 
‘eligible veterans service organization’ means— 
‘‘(A) an entity that is exempt from tax-
ation pursuant to section 501(c)(19) of the In-
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ternal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
501(c)(19)) and is organized on a local or area 
basis; and 
‘‘(B) a local or area chapter, post, or other 
unit of a national, regional, Statewide, or other 
larger entity of which local or area chapters, 
posts, or units are members, that is exempt 
from taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(19) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
501(c)(19)). 
Such term does not include any such national, re-
gional, Statewide, or other larger entity. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) AMOUNT.—No eligible veterans serv-
ice organization may receive grant amounts 
under this subsection, from the amounts made 
available for any single fiscal year, in an 
amount exceeding the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) the aggregate cost of the pro-
posed activities and uses under paragraph 
(1) for which the grant amounts will be 
used; or 
‘‘(ii) $200,000. 
‘‘(B) TIMING.—Any eligible veterans serv-
ice organization that receives grant amounts 
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under this subsection from amounts made avail-
able for a fiscal year shall be ineligible for any 
grant from any amounts made available for 
such grants for any of the succeeding 5 fiscal 
years. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—Applications for assist-
ance under this subsection may be submitted only by 
eligible veterans service organizations, and shall be 
in such form and in accordance with such proce-
dures as the Secretary shall establish. Such applica-
tions shall include a plan for the proposed repair or 
rehabilitation activities to be conducted using grant 
amounts under this subsection. 
‘‘(5) SELECTION; 
CRITERIA.—The Secretary 
shall select applications to receive grants under this 
subsection pursuant to a competition and based on 
criteria for such selection, which shall include— 
‘‘(A) the extent of need for such assist-
ance; 
‘‘(B) the quality of the plan proposed for 
repair or rehabilitation of the facility involved; 
‘‘(C) the capacity or potential capacity of 
the applicant to successfully carry out the plan; 
and 
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‘‘(D) such other factors as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(6) PROHIBITION OF CONSTRUCTION OR AC-
QUISITION.—No amounts from a grant under this 
subsection may be used for the construction or ac-
quisition of a new facility.’’. 
(b) FUNDING.—Subsection (a) of section 106 of the 
Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 
U.S.C. 5306(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and (3)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(3), and (4)’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (5); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) For each fiscal year, after reserving 
amounts under paragraphs (1) and (2) and allo-
cating amounts under paragraph (3), the Secretary 
shall allocate $50,000,000 (subject to sufficient 
amounts remaining after such reservations and allo-
cation) for grants under section 107(g).’’. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall issue any regulations necessary 
to carry out sections 106(a)(4) and 107(g) of the Housing 
and Community Development Act of 1974, as added by 
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