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Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019

Public Law 116-154 · H.R. 3504 · 116th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 8, 2020 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12)

Cosponsors (2): Rep. Phil Roe,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

This bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Specially Adapted Housing Program and updates provisions related to educational assistance and the work-study allowance for veterans.

The Specially Adapted Housing Program provides grants to veterans and service members with certain service-connected disabilities to assist with constructing, purchasing, or remodeling homes to fit their needs. The program is comprised of two grants (1) the Specially Adapted Housing grant (for acquisition of housing with special features), and (2) the Special Housing Adaptation grant (for adaptations to a veteran's residence).

Specifically, the bill updates the eligibility for the program by including veterans with certain visual impairments and requiring those with the loss or loss of use of a lower extremity to meet other qualifications.

The bill raises the cap on grants that may be issued per veteran from three to six and raises the number of applications that may be approved for the Specially Adapted Housing grant from 30 to 120. The bill increases the maximum amount of assistance available under the Special Housing Adaptation grant program and also increases the aggregate amount of assistance available under both grant programs.

The bill also authorizes certain veterans to apply for additional assistance under both grants, subject to specified limitations.

Under the bill, individuals who are entitled to educational assistance through the Post-9/11 GI Bill are also entitled to payment for a covered preparatory course for licensure, certification, or national tests.

The bill updates provisions related to the work-study allowance benefit available to eligible veterans, including by prescribing the annual amount the VA must provide to educational institutions for the program.

Finally, the bill modifies the loan fee table under the VA's home loan guaranty program.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

6 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 2934Related bill

    GI Bill Access to Career Credentials Act

  • H.R. 3535Related bill

    GI Bill Work Study Improvement Act of 2019

  • H.R. 3640Related bill

    Housing Access for Blind Veterans Act

  • S. 1283Related bill

    Fry Scholarship Improvement Act of 2019

  • S. 2022Related bill

    Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019

  • S. 2265Related bill

    GI Bill Work Study Improvement Act of 2019

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.

  1. Aug 8, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-154.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jul 28, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 20, 2020Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · Mr. Takano asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill, H.R. 3504, and agree to the Senate amendment.
  7. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
  8. Mar 26, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  9. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  10. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  11. Jul 24, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  12. Jul 23, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  13. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  14. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3504.
  15. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  16. FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  17. Jul 22, 2019CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 124.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 116-164.
  19. Jul 8, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
  20. Jun 26, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  21. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 1579SenateSen. Jerry MoranR-KS· offered Mar 26, 2020Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Mar 26, 2020: Amendment SA 1579 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.