[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2716 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.2716
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and one
An Act
To amend title 38, United States Code, to revise, improve, and
consolidate provisions of law providing benefits and services for
homeless veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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UNITED STATES CODE.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:

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and the
responsibility of Federal agencies.

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Housing program.
(c) References to Title 38, United States Code.--Except as
otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or
repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a
section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be
made to a section or other provision of title 38, United States Code.

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For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ``homeless veteran'' has the meaning given such
term in section 2002 of title 38, United States Code, as added by
section 5(a)(1).
(2) The term ``grant and per diem provider'' means an entity in
receipt of a grant under section 2011 or 2012 of title 38, United
States Code, as so added.

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(a) National Goal.--Congress hereby declares it to be a national
goal to end chronic homelessness among veterans within a decade of the
enactment of this Act.
(b) Cooperative Efforts Encouraged.--Congress hereby encourages all
departments and agencies of Federal, State, and local governments,
quasi-governmental organizations, private and public sector entities,
including community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and
individuals to work cooperatively to end chronic homelessness among
veterans within a decade.

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AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.
It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) homelessness is a significant problem in the veterans
community and veterans are disproportionately represented among
homeless men;
(2) while many effective programs assist homeless veterans to
again become productive and self-sufficient members of society,
current resources provided to such programs and other activities
that assist homeless veterans are inadequate to provide all needed
essential services, assistance, and support to homeless veterans;
(3) the most effective programs for the assistance of homeless
veterans should be identified and expanded;
(4) federally funded programs for homeless veterans should be
held accountable for achieving clearly defined results;
(5) Federal efforts to assist homeless veterans should include
prevention of homelessness; and
(6) Federal agencies, particularly the Department of Veterans
Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the
Department of Labor, should cooperate more fully to address the
problem of homelessness among veterans.

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(a) Evaluation Centers.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
support the continuation within the Department of Veterans Affairs of
at least one center for evaluation to monitor the structure, process,
and outcome of programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs that
address homeless veterans.
(b) Annual Program Assessment.--Section 2034(b), as transferred and
redesignated by section 5(b)(1), is amended--
(1) by inserting ``annual'' in paragraph (1) after ``to make
an''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(6) The Secretary shall review each annual assessment under this
subsection and shall consolidate the findings and conclusions of each
such assessment into the next annual report submitted to Congress under
section 2065 of this title.''.

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VETERANS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a study
of the effectiveness during fiscal year 2002 through fiscal year 2004
of the grant program under section 2061 of title 38, United States
Code, as added by section 5(a), in meeting the needs of homeless
veterans with special needs (as specified in that section). As part of
the study, the Secretary shall compare the results of programs carried
out under that section, in terms of veterans' satisfaction, health
status, reduction in addiction severity, housing, and encouragement of
productive activity, with results for similar veterans in programs of
the Department or of grant and per diem providers that are designed to
meet the general needs of homeless veterans.
(b) Report.--Not later than March 31, 2005, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House
of Representatives a report setting forth the results of the study
under subsection (a).

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(a) Access to Mental Health Services.--Section 1706 is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) The Secretary shall ensure that each primary care health care
facility of the Department develops and carries out a plan to provide
mental health services, either through referral or direct provision of
services, to veterans who require such services.''.
(b) Comprehensive Homeless Services Program.--Subsection (b) of
section 2033, as transferred and redesignated by section 5(b)(1), is
amended--
(1) by striking ``not fewer'' in the first sentence and all
that follows through ``services) at''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``The
Secretary shall carry out the program under this section in sites
in at least each of the 20 largest metropolitan statistical
areas.''.
(c) Access to Substance Use Disorder Services.--Section 1720A is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d)(1) The Secretary shall ensure that each medical center of the
Department develops and carries out a plan to provide treatment for
substance use disorders, either through referral or direct provision of
services, to veterans who require such treatment.
``(2) Each plan under paragraph (1) shall make available clinically
proven substance abuse treatment methods, including opioid substitution
therapy, to veterans with respect to whom a qualified medical
professional has determined such treatment methods to be
appropriate.''.

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(a) Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program.--Section 4103A(c) is
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(11) Coordination of employment services with training
assistance provided to veterans by entities receiving funds under
section 2021 of this title.''.
(b) Local Veterans' Employment Representatives.--Section 4104(b) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (11);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(13) coordinate employment services with training assistance
provided to veterans by entities receiving funds under section 2021
of this title.''.

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(a) Limitation on Declaring Property Excess to the Needs of the
Department.--Section 8122(d) is amended by inserting before the period
at the end the following: ``and is not suitable for use for the
provision of services to homeless veterans by the Department or by
another entity under an enhanced-use lease of such property under
section 8162 of this title''.
(b) Waiver of Competitive Selection Process for Enhanced-Use Leases
for Properties Used To Serve Homeless Veterans.--Section 8162(b)(1) is
amended--
(1) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``(b)(1)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) In the case of a property that the Secretary determines is
appropriate for use as a facility to furnish services to homeless
veterans under chapter 20 of this title, the Secretary may enter into
an enhanced-use lease with a provider of homeless services without
regard to the selection procedures required under subparagraph (A).''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (b) shall
apply to leases entered into on or after the date of the enactment of
this Act.

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Section 202(c) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 11312(c)) is amended to read as follows:
``(c) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at the call of its
Chairperson or a majority of its members, but not less often than
annually.''.

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HOUSING PROGRAM.
Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(19) Rental vouchers for veterans affairs supported housing
program.--
``(A) Set aside.--Subject to subparagraph (C), the
Secretary shall set aside, from amounts made available for
rental assistance under this subsection, the amounts specified
in subparagraph (B) for use only for providing such assistance
through a supported housing program administered in conjunction
with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such program shall
provide rental assistance on behalf of homeless veterans who
have chronic mental illnesses or chronic substance use
disorders, shall require agreement of the veteran to continued
treatment for such mental illness or substance use disorder as
a condition of receipt of such rental assistance, and shall
ensure such treatment and appropriate case management for each
veteran receiving such rental assistance.
``(B) Amount.--The amount specified in this subparagraph
is--
``(i) for fiscal year 2003, the amount necessary to
provide 500 vouchers for rental assistance under this
subsection;
``(ii) for fiscal year 2004, the amount necessary to
provide 1,000 vouchers for rental assistance under this
subsection;
``(iii) for fiscal year 2005, the amount necessary to
provide 1,500 vouchers for rental assistance under this
subsection; and
``(iv) for fiscal year 2006, the amount necessary to
provide 2,000 vouchers for rental assistance under this
subsection.
``(C) Funding through incremental assistance.--In any
fiscal year, to the extent that this paragraph requires the
Secretary to set aside rental assistance amounts for use under
this paragraph in an amount that exceeds the amount set aside
in the preceding fiscal year, such requirement shall be
effective only to such extent or in such amounts as are or have
been provided in appropriation Acts for such fiscal year for
incremental rental assistance under this subsection.''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

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Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001

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