Title: Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act of 2017
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements with public or private entities to fund, through the award of a grant or the use of a contract, a portion of the pro bono legal services such entities provide to homeless veterans or veterans at risk of homelessness related to housing, family law, income support, and criminal defense.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2703 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2703

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements with public and private 
 entities to provide pro bono legal services to homeless veterans and 
       veterans at risk of homelessness, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

Mr. Ted Lieu of California (for himself, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Hastings, Ms. 
 Norton, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham 
 of New Mexico, Mr. Keating, Mrs. Torres, Mr. Rush, and Mr. McGovern) 
 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 enter into agreements with public and private 
 entities to provide pro bono legal services to homeless veterans and 
       veterans at risk of homelessness, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Legal Services for Homeless Veterans 
Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. AGREEMENTS WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES TO PROVIDE LEGAL 
              SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS AND VETERANS AT RISK OF 
              HOMELESSNESS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 20 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 2022 the following new section:
``Sec. 2022A. Agreements with public and private entities to provide 
              pro bono legal services to homeless veterans and veterans 
              at risk of homelessness
    ``(a) Agreements Authorized.--Subject to the availability of funds 
for that purpose, the Secretary may enter into an agreement with a 
public or private entity, through the award of a grant or the use of a 
contract, to fund a portion of legal services described in subsection 
(b).
    ``(b) Pro Bono Legal Services.--Legal services described in this 
subsection are provided pro bono to a homeless veteran or veteran at 
risk of homelessness, including the following:
            ``(1) Legal services related to housing, including eviction 
        defense and representation in landlord-tenant cases.
            ``(2) Legal services related to family law, including 
        assistance in court proceedings for child support, divorce, and 
        estate planning.
            ``(3) Legal services related to income support, including 
        assistance in obtaining public benefits.
            ``(4) Legal services related to criminal defense, including 
        defense in matters symptomatic of homelessness, such as 
        outstanding warrants, fines, and driver's license revocation, 
        to reduce recidivism, and facilitate the overcoming of reentry 
        obstacles in employment or housing.
    ``(c) Consultation.--In developing and carrying out agreements 
under this section, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, 
consult with appropriate public and private entities--
            ``(1) for assistance in identifying and contacting 
        organizations that offer legal services described in subsection 
        (b); and
            ``(2) to coordinate appropriate outreach relationships with 
        such organizations.
    ``(d) Locations.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the 
extent practicable, agreements under this section are made with 
entities equitably distributed across the geographic regions of the 
United States, including rural communities, tribal lands of the United 
States, Native Americans, and tribal organizations.
    ``(2) In this subsection, the terms `Native American' and `tribal 
organization' have the meanings given such terms in section 3765 of 
this title.
    ``(e) Reports.--The Secretary may require an entity that enters 
into an agreement under this section to submit to the Secretary 
periodic reports on legal services provided pursuant to the 
agreement.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 20 of such title is amended by adding after the item relating 
to section 2022 the following new item:

``2022A. Agreements with public and private entities to provide pro 
                            bono legal services to homeless veterans 
                            and veterans at risk of homelessness.''.
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