Veterans Housing and Employment Improvement Act of 2005

Floor Speech

VETERANS HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - November 09, 2005)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to commend H.R. 3665, as amended, to the House for passage. This bill has several goals. First, we want to provide some flexibility in several VA programs, including the Adapted Housing Grant program and the Native American Loan program. Second, we want to protect and institutionalize the taxpayers' investment in the President's National Hiring Veterans Committee. Third, we want to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program for 3 years.

Madam Speaker, it is no secret that many of those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan return home with significant disabilities. Many of those severely disabled servicemembers spend their convalescence at a family home before moving to their own home when they are well enough to do so. Under the current rules, VA cannot help adapt those family homes for their specific disabilities unless the veteran has an ownership interest in the property. This bill would eliminate the ownership requirement for a partial grant. Therefore, title I would provide a partial adaptive housing assistance grant up to $10,000 or $2,000, depending on the level of disability to veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member. It would also authorize up to three specially adaptive housing grants within the allotted maximum amount.

Madam Speaker, this measure contains several provisions from H.R. 1773, originally introduced by the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee ranking member, Ms. Herseth. I want to compliment her and her staff for their hard work on this issue. These provisions would make permanent the pilot program for housing loans to Native American veterans; extend the eligibility for Native American loans to certain non-Native American veterans who have a meaningful interest in the property under tribal law and are the spouses of a Native American. And finally, this would adjust the maximum loan to conform with the Freddie Mac limits similar to other VA loans, currently $59,650.

Madam Speaker, the taxpayers have made a significant investment in the work of the President's National Hire Veterans Committee, and we feel strongly that a 1-year extension will allow a proper transition of the duties and products of the committee to the Veterans Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor. Therefore, title II would extend the committee's work until not later than December 31, 2006. Transition of its duties to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training require the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training to develop a transition plan for those duties and modify the membership and duties of the advisory committee on veterans employment and training to include outreach activities.

Madam Speaker, we all know that homelessness among the veterans continues to be a problem. While there is some disagreement about the total number of homeless veterans needing a job to break the cycle of homelessness, there is no disagreement that the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program remains a valuable tool to put homeless veterans back to work. I want to emphasize that this is an employment program managed by the Veterans Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor, not a housing program. Therefore, title III would reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program for fiscal years 2007 through 2009 and retain the maximum authorization of $50 million per year.

Finally, title IV makes technical amendments to the servicemembers group life insurance legislation as well as clerical and technical amendments to a number of other sections of title 38.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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