The House of Representatives approved by voice vote the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act, H.R. 1742, on October 24. The measure, introduced by Representative Joseph Heck (R-NV), was brought directly to the floor, bypassing any committee action. It now awaits action by the Senate. The bill would exempt expenses related to a veteran’s aid and attendant pension payments from counting as income in determining eligibility and payments from HUD programs. The cost of the bill would be offset by a change to the way utility allowances are calculated for HUD-assisted housing. The change would base utility allowances on the unit the size permitted by a local public housing agency, even if the family has rented a larger unit at its own additional cost. A similar provision is included in HUD's FY14 budget request to Congress. The bill would also require the publication of utility consumption data (see Memo, 5/3).The text of H.R. 1742 is available at: http://1.usa.gov/16VMUVH