H.R. 10168

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10168 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10168
    To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to
establish a pilot program to recapture and reallocate rental assistance
                 for veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                            August 27, 2026
  Mr. Meuser introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
                                 A BILL
    To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to
establish a pilot program to recapture and reallocate rental assistance
                 for veterans, 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 ``Veterans Housing Opportunity Act''.
SEC. 2. HUD-VASH NATIONAL POOL PILOT PROGRAM.
    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Veterans Affaris, shall establish a pilot program to be
known as the ``HUD-VASH National Pool Pilot Program''.
    (b) Recapture and Reallocation.--
            (1) In general.--Under the pilot program, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall identify public housing agencies with
                chronically underutilized HUD-VASH voucher assistance,
                as determined by the Secretary;
                    (B) may recapture such voucher assistance; and
                    (C) may reallocate such assistance to redistribute
                HUD-VASH voucher assistance to public housing agencies
                through a process established by the Secretary.
            (2) Notice to phas with underutilization.--Upon a finding
        that a public housing agency is chronically underutilizing HUD-
        VASH voucher assistance as described in paragraph (1)(A), the
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) notify such public housing agency of the
                underutilization; and
                    (B) provide such public housing agency with a
                period of time, as determined by the Secretary, to
                utilize such voucher assistance before recapturing and
                reallocating pursuant to subparagraphs (B) and (C) of
                paragraph (1).
    (c) Availability of Vouchers.--The HUD-VASH voucher assistance that
is reallocated pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(C) shall be made available
to veterans that are--
            (1) homeless; or
            (2) at risk of homelessness, as determined by the
        Secretary.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment
of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report
that describes--
            (1) HUD-VASH voucher utilization rates;
            (2) housing outcomes for veterans;
            (3) impacts of the pilot program on the administration of
        HUD-VASH vouchers; and
            (4) whether the pilot program has improved the efficiency
        of the HUD-VASH voucher program.
    (e) Sunset.--The pilot program established by this section shall
terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment
of this section, except as provided in subsection (f).
    (f) Participants After Termination.--Any individual that receives a
HUD-VASH voucher under the pilot program, and retains such voucher
after the sunset described in subsection (d), shall retain such voucher
under the standard HUD-VASH program described in section 8(o)(19) of
the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) and any
implementing regulations.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Chronically underutilized.--The term ``chronically
        underutilized'' means sustained underutilization over a
        meaningful period of time, as determined by the Secretary.
            (2) HUD-VASH voucher assistance.--The term ``HUD-VASH
        voucher assistance'' means rental assistance provided--
                    (A) under section 8(o)(19) of the United States
                Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)); or
                    (B) any similar assistance made under an
                appropriations Act.
            (3) Public housing agency.--The term ``public housing
        agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 3(b) of the
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (5) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given
        the term in section 2002 of title 38, United States Code.
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