,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fgac  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #ae1       
#bjbe,mr4 ,espaillat introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,servicemembers
 ,civil ,relief ,act to ensure that     
certain education and workforce         
development benefits administered by the
 ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs are   
treated as income by landlords          
evaluating the ability of a             
servicemember1 veteran1 or a spouse or  
child of a servicemember or veteran1 to 
pay rent1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,protect ,veteran ,students1 ,job   
,seekers1 and ,entrepreneurs ,housing   
,act4  #b4 ,treatment of certain        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
benefits in determining income for      
purposes of entering into residential   
leases  7a7 ,in general ,title ,,iii of 
the ,servicemembers ,civil ,relief ,act 

7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #ciea et seq47 is amended
 by adding at the end the following new 
section 7and conforming the table of    
contents at the beginning of such ,act  
accordingly73  #cji4 ,treatment of      
certain ,department of ,veterans        
,affairs benefits in determining income 
for purposes of entering into           
residential leases  7a7 ,protection ,in 
determining whether a covered individual
 has an income sufficient to enter into 
a lease of premises for a residential   
purpose1 the landlord 7or other person  
with paramount title7 of the premises   
shall treat any educational assistance  
received by the covered individual under
 any of chapter #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 #cd1
 #ce1 or #cf of title #ch1 ,united      
,states ,code1 or chapter #afjf or #afjg
 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 as
 income4  7b7 ,lease period ,when       
entering into a lease of premises for a 
residential purpose with a covered      
individual pursuant to subsection 7a71  
the landlord 7or other person with      

paramount title7 shall guarantee that   
the period of the lease does not exceed 
the number of months of entitlement the 
individual has for the educational      
assistance described in such subsection4
  7c7 ,penalties  7#a7 ,a landlord 7or  
other person with paramount title7 who  
knowingly takes an action contrary to   
this section1 or attempts to do so1 may 
not participate in a covered ,federally 
assisted rental housing program4  7#b7  
,a person who knowingly takes an action 
contrary to this section1 or attempts to
 do so1 shall be fined as provided in   
title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 or    
imprisoned for not more than one year1  
or both4  7d7 ,definitions ,in this     
section3 7#a7 ,the term covered         
individual means a servicemember1       
veteran1 or a spouse or child of a      
servicemember or veteran1 who is        
entitled to educational assistance under
 chapter #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 #cd1 #ce1  
or #cf of title #ch1 ,united ,states    
,code1 or chapter #afjf or #afjg of     

title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#b7 
,the term covered ,federally assisted   
rental housing means a residential      
dwelling unit that is made available for
 rental and for which assistance is     
provided1 or that is part of a housing  
project for which assistance is         
provided1 under any program administered
 by the ,secretary of ,housing and      
,urban ,development1 the ,secretary of  
,veterans ,affairs 7other than stipends 
made in connection with educational     
assistance71 the ,secretary of          
,agriculture1 or the ,secretary of the  
,treasury1 including-- 7,a7 the public  
housing program under the ,united       
,states ,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #adcg et seq472  7,b7 the     
program for rental assistance under     
section #h of the ,united ,states       
,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#adcg;f72  7,c7 the ,,home ,investment  
,partnerships program under title ,,ii  
of the ,cranton-,gonzalez ,national     
,affordable ,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4

 #abgba et seq472  7,d7 title ,,iv of   
the ,mc,kinney-,vento ,homeless         
,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aacfj  
et seq472  7,e7 housing assistance for  
homeless veterans under section #bjda of
 title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code2  7,f7
 the ,housing ,trust ,fund program under
 section #acch of the ,housing and      
,community ,development ,act of #aiib   
7#ab ,u4,s4,c4 #defh72  7,g7 the program
 for supportive housing for the elderly 
under section #bjb of the ,housing ,act 
of #aiei 7#ab ,u4,s4,c4 #agjaq72  7,h7  
the program for supportive housing for  
persons with disabilities under section 
#haa of the ,cranston-,gonzalez         
,national ,affordable ,housing ,act 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #hjac72  7,i7 the ,,aids     
,housing ,opportunities program under   
subtitle ,d of title ,,viii of the      
,cranston-,gonzalez ,national           
,affordable ,housing ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4
 #abija et seq472  7,j7 the program for 
,native ,american housing under the     
,native ,american ,housing ,assistance  

and ,self-,determination ,act of #aiif  
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #daja et seq472  7,k7 the
 program for housing assistance for     
,native ,hawaiians under title ,,viii of
 the ,native ,american ,housing         
,assistance and ,self-,determination    
,act of #aiif 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dbba et   
seq472  7,l7 the programs for assistance
 for rural rental housing under title ,v
 of the ,housing ,act of #aidi 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #adga et seq472 and  7,m7 the 
low-income housing tax credit program   
under section #db of the ,internal      
,revenue ,code4  4  7b7 ,extended grace 
period ,to maintain benefits ,chapter   
#cf of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by adding at the end the    
following new section 7and conforming   
the table of sections at the beginning  
of such chapter accordingly73  #cfii;,c4
 ,grace period for individuals to       
maintain benefits  7a7 ,requirement ,if 
the ,secretary determines that a covered
 individual is not eligible for         
educational assistance described in     

subsection 7b77#a7 by reason of the     
covered individual failing to fulfill a 
single program requirement1 the         
,secretary may not terminate the        
individual from using such assistance   
until--  7#a7 the ,secretary notifies   
the individual of such failure2 and     
7#b7 a period of #fj days has elapsed   
following such notification4  7b7       
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term covered individual means an       
individual who is entitled to           
educational assistance under chapter    
#cj1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 #cd1 #ce1 or #cf of 
this title or chapter #afjf or #afjg of 
title #aj4  7#b7 ,the term program      
requirement means a requirement to      
participate in educational assistance   
described in paragraph 7#a7 relating to 
any of the following3 7,a7 ,missing a   
recertification appointment4  7,b7      
,withdrawing from a class4  7,c7 ,with  
respect to a dependent1 the death of the
 veteran4  7,d7 ,loss of employment4    
7,e7 ,any other requirement the         

,secretary determines appropriate4  4