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. 
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 ‘‘Warriors Adapting 
Residences with Mortgages for Energy Renovations Act’’ 
or the ‘‘WARMER Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOUSING 
LOANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ENERGY EF-
FICIENT DWELLINGS. 
(a) LOANS AUTHORIZED.—Section 3710(d) of title 
38, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(A) The Secretary’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘for the acquisition of’’ 
and all that follows through the end and insert-
ing ‘‘for any of the following purposes:’’; 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
clauses: 
‘‘(i) The acquisition of an existing dwelling and 
the cost of making energy efficiency improvements 
to the dwelling. 
‘‘(ii) The construction of a new dwelling and 
the cost of making energy efficiency improvements 
to the dwelling. 
‘‘(iii) Energy efficiency improvements to a 
dwelling owned and occupied by a veteran.’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraphs: 
‘‘(B) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, 
a loan may be guaranteed under this subsection only if 
it meets the requirements of this chapter. 
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‘‘(C) The Secretary shall determine appropriate en-
ergy efficiency standards for purposes of this subsection 
and shall require that dwellings purchased, constructed, 
or improved using a loan guaranteed under this subsection 
meet such standards.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the greater 
of’’ and all that follows through the period and in-
serting ‘‘five percent of the total established value of 
the property, dwelling, and improvements, unless the 
Secretary 
specifically 
provides 
for 
a 
higher 
amount.’’; and 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 
(6) as paragraphs (4) through (7), respectively, and 
inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
paragraph (3): 
‘‘(3) In order to determine the value of energy effi-
ciency improvements made to a dwelling using a loan 
guaranteed under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
adopt existing applicable Federal standards and valuation 
programs.’’; and 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3710(d), as 
amended by subsection (a), is further amended in para-
graph (5), as redesignated by subsection (a)(3), by strik-
ing ‘‘paragraph (3)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 
(4)(B)’’. 
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(c) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) INTERIM
POLICY
GUIDANCE.—Not later 
than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe 
interim policy guidance on energy efficiency audits 
and the conditions under which the performance of 
such audits may be included in the amount guaran-
teed by the Secretary under section 3710(d) of title 
38, United States Code, as amended by subsection 
(a). 
(2) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall prescribe regulations to carry out the 
amendments made by subsection (a). 
(3) ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
AUDIT
DEFINED.— 
For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘energy 
efficiency audit’’ means a measurement of the ef-
fects of an improvement made to a dwelling for the 
purpose of reducing energy consumption or increas-
ing energy efficiency that is carried out by a cer-
tified professional auditor, as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
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(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to a loan 
secured on or after October 1, 2010. 
Æ 
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