An Act to Expand the Use of the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0126
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: HICKMAN
Amends: 37-B MRSA §513-A

Legislative Document
No. 126
S.P. 54
In Senate, January 8, 2025
An Act to Expand the Use of the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention 
Partnership Fund
Submitted by the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management pursuant 
to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  37-B MRSA §513-A, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 504, §2, is amended to read:
§513-A.  Veterans' homelessness prevention coordination
1.  Veterans' homelessness prevention partnership.  The director shall may, through 
one or more collaborative agreements, establish a program of partnerships with human 
services‑based volunteer organizations to provide transitional housing to homeless veterans 
and coordinate efforts to remedy and prevent homelessness among veterans in this State.  
The volunteer organizations must have as their core programs addressing homelessness and 
veterans' services and have been active in the State for at least 2 years.  Priority must be 
given to an organization founded, chartered or organized in the State.  The director may 
accept donations from outside sources and state and federal funding to accomplish the 
priorities of the partnerships.  To the extent state, federal or outside funding is available, 
the priorities of these partnerships, listed in order of priority, include, but are not limited 
to:
A.  Identifying homeless veterans in the State;
B.  Identifying and securing temporary or permanent living space for veterans within 
the veterans' communities;
C.  Providing reimbursement to human services‑based volunteer organizations that 
provide transitional housing to homeless veterans pursuant to collaborative agreements 
entered into pursuant to this subsection; and
D.  Conducting annual outreach events, targeted to reach the maximum number of 
veterans in need, to disseminate information on resources and services available to 
assist homeless veterans.
2.  Rules.  The bureau may adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including 
to define "veterans" for purposes of this section, to govern collaborative agreements with 
human services‑based volunteer organizations and to govern the reimbursement of 
organizations that provide transitional housing to homeless veterans through disbursements 
from the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention Partnership Fund.
Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 
375, subchapter 2‑A.
3.  Fund established.  The Veterans' Homelessness Prevention Partnership Fund, a 
nonlapsing fund, is established under the bureau for the purpose of receiving funds from 
state, federal and other sources, including donations from private citizens, corporations and 
entities for the purpose of this section.  The bureau shall use the fund to provide 
reimbursement to human services‑based volunteer organizations that provide transitional 
housing to homeless veterans disbursements to organizations, businesses, landlords or 
other entities to prevent homelessness among veterans in this State and to otherwise carry 
out the purposes of this section.
SUMMARY
This bill removes the requirement for the Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' 
Services within the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management to 
establish a program of partnerships with human services-based volunteer organizations in 
order to make disbursements from the Veterans' Homelessness Prevention Partnership 
Fund.  The bill allows the director to make disbursements directly to organizations, 
businesses, landlords or other entities to prevent homelessness among veterans.