Veterans Service Organization Modernization Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4731 | Sponsor: Rep. Waters, Maxine (D-CA)
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Veterans Service Organization Modernization Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide competitive grants to veterans service organizations for repairs or rehabilitation of existing facilities and for modernization of technologies.

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 the 
    renovation, rehabilitation, and modernization of local chapter 
                              facilities.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Service Organization 
Modernization Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR 
              FACILITY REHABILITATION AND MODERNIZATION.

    (a) Grants.--Section 107 of the Housing and Community Development 
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5307) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(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) modernization of technologies used by such 
                organizations.
            ``(2) Eligible veterans service organizations.--For 
        purposes of this subsection, the term `eligible veterans 
        service organization' means--
                    ``(A) an entity that--
                            ``(i) is organized on a local or area 
                        basis; and
                            ``(ii) is--
                                    ``(I) exempt from taxation pursuant 
                                to section 501(c)(19) of the Internal 
                                Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
                                501(c)(19)); or
                                    ``(II) an organization of past or 
                                present members of the Armed Forces of 
                                the United States that is chartered 
                                under title 36, United States Code; 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--
                            ``(i) 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)); or
                            ``(ii) which larger entity is an 
                        organization of past or present members of the 
                        Armed Forces of the United States that is 
                        chartered under title 36, United States Code.
            ``(3) Limitations.--
                    ``(A) Amount.--No eligible veterans service 
                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 proposed 
                        activities and uses under paragraph (1) for 
                        which the grant amounts will be used; or
                            ``(ii) $100,000.
                    ``(B) Timing.--Any eligible veterans service 
                organization that receives grant amounts under this 
                subsection from amounts made available for a fiscal 
                year shall be ineligible for any grant from any amounts 
                made available for such grants for any of the 
                succeeding three fiscal years.
            ``(4) Applications.--Applications for assistance under this 
        subsection may be submitted only by eligible veterans service 
        organizations, and shall be in such form and in accordance with 
        such procedures as the Secretary shall establish. Such 
        applications 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 assistance;
                    ``(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
                    ``(D) such other factors as the Secretary 
                determines to be appropriate.
            ``(6) Prohibition of construction or acquisition.--No 
        amounts from a grant under this subsection may be used for the 
        construction or acquisition 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 paragraph (5); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(4) For each fiscal year, after reserving amounts under 
        paragraphs (1) and (2) and allocating amounts under paragraph 
        (3), the Secretary shall allocate $10,000,000 (subject to 
        sufficient amounts remaining after such reservations and 
        allocation) 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 the amendments made by this section, not later than the 
expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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