Homes for Heroes Act of 2013

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking Mr. Hensarling, the chairperson of the committee. He gave me his word. He said this bill would come to the floor, and he has kept his word. I would like to thank the ranking member, Ms. Waters. She committed to help with this bill. In fact, the genesis of this was a conversation I had with her, and she kept her word. I'd like to thank Mr. McHenry. Indeed, he and I do serve on Oversight and Investigations, and I appreciate very much his being here today to help us by managing this piece of legislation. I believe he and I will accomplish additional things on a bipartisan basis. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation.

I'd also like to thank the staff. While I will stand here and hopefully rise to the occasion, it really takes greater people to make the occasion. These people are the staffers that work long into the night on many occasions to try to reach a consensus on legislation. The staff really put a lot of time into this legislation, Mr. Speaker, and I think they should be complimented.

I especially would recognize one staffer in particular, Ms. Harmeet Kaur. This is her last week in our congressional office. She's a fellow, and I'm honored to say she worked with us on this piece of legislation.

Finally, I'd like to thank our veterans. Mr. Speaker, we stand here in the well of the House and enjoy many of the freedoms that we have because there are people who are willing to go to distant places, willing to risk their lives. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, many of them do not return the way they left. I just believe, Mr. Speaker, that the least a grateful Nation can do is make sure that when they return home, they return home to good jobs, the best health care, and good housing. I believe that it's almost sinful to see a veteran standing on the corner with a sign that reads, ``Homeless, hungry.'' I believe that we ought to do everything within our power to help people who are willing to risk their lives for us.

I had the good fortune or misfortune, I'm not sure which, to pass by a VA hospital with a sign out front that read, ``Come in and see the price of freedom.''

Something that bears repeating: ``Come in and see the price of freedom.''

The price of freedom is quite high, Mr. Speaker. The price of freedom will cost some in the prime of their lives things that you and I can never replace, money can't buy. And when money can't buy and you and I can't replace, the least we can do is all that we can. This is why we're asking that this Special Assistant be placed in the Office of the Secretary of HUD, that this be codified into the law; that it is not going to be easy now for this person to be replaced or this position to be removed.

And, Mr. Speaker, I must say also that HUD has been quite helpful. HUD has established a similar position in another part of the Department, but this would place a person in the office with the Secretary. And this person in the Office of the Secretary would try to help us with some of the statistics that we find abhorrent.

We find that there are approximately 76,000 to 144,000 veterans who are homeless. This is unacceptable. We find that on any night in 2012 about 62,000 veterans were homeless. This is unacceptable. And what this assistant will do is work with the homeless veterans organizations, serve as a liaison person to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and with State and local officials, and not-for-profit organizations. This assistant will coordinate services with these various entities.

Mr. Speaker, this is not enough, but it is a start. It is a continuation, if you will, of what we've been trying to accomplish. Mr. Speaker, I beg that my colleagues--I would besiege them and implore them to please support this legislation because you're really supporting our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will remind us that the greatness of America is not going to be measured by how we treat people who live in the sweets of life. The greatness of America is often going to be judged by how we treat people who live in the streets of life. Too often, we have people who have served their country living in the streets of life. They literally live on the streets. It is time for us, the richest country in the world, where one out of every 100 persons is a millionaire, to acknowledge what our veterans have done to make it possible for us to enjoy these great and noble American ideals as extolled in the Pledge of Allegiance, liberty and justice for all, and in the Constitution, wherein we would have all people be created and treated equally.

So, Mr. Speaker, I just beg in closing that we, Members, take advantage of this opportunity to support our veterans. It is not something that is going to break the bank. In fact, it has a minimal impact on the deficit, but it can have a huge impact on our veterans.

I thank you, Mr. McHenry, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I believe, in the inner sanctum of my soul, that we are the home of the free because we are the land of the brave.

I salute those who are willing to serve their country, who are willing to go to distant places, and who don't always return home the way they left. I highly commend them, and I believe that those who serve us in our military, the men and women who serve us, should always be appreciated for their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I also believe, Mr. Speaker, that we spend a huge amount of money-- about $1 trillion in one circumstance--to put them in harm's way. I believe that if we can spend $1 trillion to put them in harm's way, we can spend whatever it takes when they return home to make sure they have got the best health care, they get the best housing, and that they get good jobs.

I also believe that we have a responsibility and an obligation in the Congress of the United States of America to make sure that their needs are met. This is why I have introduced certain pieces of legislation to deal with the issues that are confronted by our veterans.

I would like to mention a few pieces of this legislation today. And I rarely use the personal pronoun ``I,'' but in my business, if you don't use the personal pronoun, somebody else will.

I would like to talk about H.R. 384, Homes for Heroes. This piece of legislation would place a person in HUD, who would have the responsibility of filing a report with Congress annually on the status of veterans and who would be there to look out for veterans. There is currently a person there, but the person is not there in a legal capacity such that it would continue beyond this President or ad infinitum.

I also have sponsored H.R. 2362, Transportation for Heroes. We have veterans who need to get to jobs and who need to get to the VA who cannot afford public transportation. I believe that we need to make sure that they get the same opportunity to take a public transportation system, to utilize it, that persons who are senior citizens have and persons who are disabled have. We have to provide a means by which veterans can get to those places that can be a benefit to them.

This is why we have also sponsored H.R. 3876, Burial with Dignity for Heroes. This piece of legislation would allow those veterans who die in poverty, who have family members who are in poverty, who cannot afford to send them to a tribal cemetery once they die in some place that is distant from a tribal cemetery or a State facility--if you can't send them currently, you have to try to scrape the money up as best you can--I think this country ought to be grateful enough to make sure these veterans cannot only get to these places where they may be buried, but also they should get there and have

a casket or an urn. They should have the opportunity to be buried with dignity. No veteran should die in poverty and then find that they can't get a burial with dignity.

I also believe that we should have our veterans who are hurt after they leave the military be accorded the opportunity to have places to live such that they can access them easily and use them efficaciously. This is why we have filed the HAVEN Act, H.R. 3743. The HAVEN Act would accord $20 million--by the way, that we don't have; I believe that if we can spend money we don't have to put them in harm's way, we can spend money we don't have to take care of them when they get home--$20 million, $5 million a year, a pilot program to allow NGOs to match the $20 million and provide the type of facility that a veteran would need to move efficaciously, to move and have a great degree of functionality within his or her home. This is the kind of thing that a grateful nation ought to do. This piece of legislation is currently in the Senate defense authorization bill, and in that bill this legislation lies. But there is some question as to whether or not it will survive a conference committee. I pray and I hope for this piece of legislation, $20 million over 5 years to modify homes for disabled veterans, those who are hurt after they have left the military, to help them. There is already a program for those who are hurt while they are in the military. This is not duplicative. This does help veterans who need help.

I believe we are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave. I believe that if we are going to continue to be the land of the free, we must make sure we must protect those who are the brave.

God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 384, the ``Homes for Heroes Act of 2013.'' I support this bill because it provides much needed assistance to more than 62,000 veterans who can be found homeless on any given night. I support this bill because it will help the 12,700 homeless veterans who were involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. I support this legislation because it is unacceptable that anyone who served this nation honorably in times of war should be without a home in times of peace.

The Homes for Heroes Act creates the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and charges him or her with the responsibility of ensuring that veterans have fair access to housing and homeless assistance programs at HUD in addition to coordinating HUD programs and activities of the Department relating to veterans; serving as a liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs; serving as HUD liaison to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and State, and local governments, and nongovernmental organizations concerned with veterans.

The Special Assistant also will provide veterans information and advice regarding special housing programs for veterans and assisting them in obtaining housing or homeless assistance under programs administered by the Department.

There are over 304,000 veterans in my city of Houston, and 11,000 homeless men and women, more than 3,600 of which are veterans. These homeless veterans have fallen victim to the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and often faced difficulty entering the civilian workforce where experience in military occupations and training do not easily translate. Because of these and other difficulties, a veteran commits suicide every 65 hours.

These men and women are often single, alone, and with little family connections concentrated in large urban areas where living conditions are more likely to be poor. Forty percent of our homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic despite making up a much smaller percentage of the veteran community.

The welfare of homeless veterans of our nation, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, should always be one of our primary concerns. They should not be left to fend for themselves when they encounter difficulties upon returning home. The Homes for Heroes act help will ensure that more have a home to live in when they return home.

The sad reality is that too many of our veterans are homeless or jobless or poor. They grow younger by the year. They need our help and support. We owe it to answer the call for them.

I urge all members of the House to join in me in supporting H.R. 384, the Homes for Heroes Act of 2013.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 384) to establish the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by transferring the Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to the Office of the Secretary of HUD, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous materials for the record on H.R. 384, as amended, currently under consideration.

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

Today I rise in support of H.R. 384, the Homes for Heroes Act of 2013.

This bill was introduced by my colleague from Texas, Congressman Al Green, who I had the pleasure of having serve alongside of me as the ranking member of the Oversight Investigation Subcommittee on the Financial Services Committee.

This bill would establish the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within Housing and Urban Development to coordinate services provided to homeless veterans and to serve as HUD's liaison to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, State and local officials, and nonprofit service organizations. The position is currently in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs. This transfer highlights the importance of addressing the housing needs of our veterans.

H.R. 384 would also require HUD to submit a comprehensive annual report to Congress on the housing needs of homeless veterans and the steps undertaken by HUD to meet those needs.

H.R. 384 is a version, in part, of the Homes for Heroes Act of 2011, 2009, and 2008, all of which passed this House with well over 400 votes each.

As our service men and women continue to serve our country both here and abroad, the least we can do is ensure they have proper access to the services that are offered to them when they return.

This bill represents a step in that direction, and I urge my colleagues to support this worthy endeavor.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Wishing to close, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleagues to this bill. I would like to

congratulate my colleague, Mr. Green, on putting forward such a worthy proposal that is both sensible and at the same time deeply honors our most-treasured resource in this country, our returning veterans, to ensure they're well cared for. So I ask my colleagues to support this measure.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Homes for Heroes Act of 2013 (H.R. 384).

This bill would establish within HUD a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to ensure veterans receive fair access to housing and homeless assistance programs and serve as a HUD liaison to the VA.

I am fully committed to strengthening the benefits and fulfilling the obligations a grateful nation owes to its veterans.

The men and women of our Armed Forces unselfishly answer the call of duty to defend our freedom. Congress has a moral obligation to support their returns with housing and other necessities.

I am proud to live in a country that has such brave men and women, and a country where citizens recognize and appreciate the sacrifices our military makes to defend us. I urge my colleagues to stand with our Veterans and support this bill.