H.R. 9303

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9303 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9303

To amend subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homelessness 
Assistance Act to establish supplemental severe weather emergency 
solutions grants, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 11, 2026

Mr. Thanedar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homelessness 
Assistance Act to establish supplemental severe weather emergency 
solutions grants, 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 ``Building Local Access for Needs in 
Key Emergency Temperatures Act'' or the ``BLANKET Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:
(1) Severe weather events including severe storms, heat 
waves, severe winter storms, flooding, wildfires, and cold 
snaps present serious risks to people experiencing 
homelessness.
(2) Temporarily increasing emergency shelter capacity 
during severe weather periods will prevent injury, reduce harm, 
and reduce strain on emergency medical services and hospitals.
(3) Targeted Federal funding is necessary to protect life, 
prevent illness, and support State and local efforts to respond 
to emergencies.

SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTS.

Subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 419. SUPPLEMENTAL SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTS.

``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this section establish a competitive grant 
program to award supplemental severe weather emergency solutions grants 
(in this section referred to as `grants') to eligible entities to 
expand and improve the capacity of emergency shelters available during 
periods of severe weather.
``(b) Application.--To receive a grant under this section, an 
eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time and in such manner as the Secretary may require that includes--
``(1) a description of the population to be served by the 
grant project and anticipated severe weather events, including 
past weather patterns and any relevant research data;
``(2) data demonstrating a need for expanded emergency 
shelter services related to severe weather events, including 
the extent of unsheltered homelessness and weather-related 
risks in the area to be served by the eligible entity;
``(3) a plan to expand shelter capacity in the area to be 
served by the eligible entity during severe weather events; and
``(4) a plan to coordinate with emergency management, 
public health, and local service providers to make use of grant 
funds to provide emergency shelter and related services to 
homeless individuals during severe weather events.
``(c) Selection Criteria.--When awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall consider--
``(1) the degree of need for emergency homelessness shelter 
and related services in the area to be served by the eligible 
entity, including the extent of unsheltered homelessness in 
such area;
``(2) the demonstrated capacity, if any, of the eligible 
entity to deploy emergency shelters during severe weather;
``(3) past performance of the eligible entity under 
programs authorized under this title;
``(4) past coordination with local emergency response 
systems by the eligible entity; and
``(5) expected measurable benefits in health expenditures, 
injury, and loss of life to the community served by the 
eligible entity relative to costs of the activities proposed to 
be undertaken with grant amounts by the eligible entity.
``(d) Use of Amounts.--Amounts from grants provided under this 
section may be used--
``(1) to temporarily expand emergency shelter capacity, 
including seasonal warming and cooling centers;
``(2) to finance vouchers for non-congregate shelter at 
hotels, motels, and comparable facilities;
``(3) to finance shelter staffing, shelter security 
personnel, overtime compensation, sanitation, utilities, and 
necessary transportation involved in severe weather response;
``(4) to purchase emergency supplies and equipment, 
including water, heating and cooling equipment, generators, air 
filtration, and emergency medical support; and
``(5) such other uses as determined appropriate by the 
Secretary.
``(e) Application of Other Requirements.--Any recipient of amounts 
under this section shall be required to comply with all requirements 
established under this subtitle, or any rule issued under this 
subtitle, that apply to recipients to recipients of grants under this 
subtitle.
``(f) GAO Report.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall, not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 
section, submit a report to Congress that evaluates the effectiveness 
of the grants provided under this section and shall include information 
about--
``(1) people served by emergency shelters funded using 
amounts provided under this section;
``(2) barriers to implementation of the grant program 
established under this section; and
``(3) services used by people requiring emergency homeless 
shelter and related services during periods of severe weather 
during which amounts provided under this section are utilized.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts 
otherwise available, there is authorized to be appropriated 
$750,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029 for the purpose 
of offering supplemental Emergency Solutions Grants addressing severe 
weather emergencies.
``(h) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means--
``(1) a State;
``(2) a unit of general local government;
``(3) a nonprofit organization;
``(4) a public housing agency;
``(5) or any combination of the types of entities listed in 
paragraphs (1) through (6).''.
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