HR8420Referred to Committee

Veterans Legal Support Act of 2026

Share:
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-04-21
Introduced
0
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Democrat · DC · Representative
Votes with party: 96.6% (59 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/N000147

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (0)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

2026-04-21

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Previously

Plain-English Summary

The legislation would provide funding and resources to help veterans access legal assistance for issues like disability benefits claims, housing disputes, and other legal matters they face after leaving military service. Veterans would be able to get free or low-cost legal help through expanded programs and partnerships with law firms and nonprofits. This would make it easier for former service members to navigate the legal system and protect their rights without having to pay for expensive lawyers.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Armed Forces and National Security

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8420 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8420 To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide support to university law school programs that are designed to provide legal assistance to veterans, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 21, 2026 Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide support to university law school programs that are designed to provide legal assistance to veterans, 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 ``Veterans Legal Support Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPORT FOR UNIVERSITY LEGAL CLINICS THAT ASSIST VETERANS. (a) Support Authorized.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may provide support to one or more university law school programs that are designed to provide legal assistance to veterans. (b) Eligible Programs.--Programs of university law schools which may receive support under subsection (a) may include programs that assist veterans with-- (1) representing veterans in appeals and proceedings before the Department of Veterans Affairs related to the appointment of fiduciaries; (2) filing and appealing claims for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary; and (3) such other civil, criminal, and family legal matters as the Secretary considers appropriate. (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031. <all>
Open clean-text viewRead on Congress.gov →

Related legislation

Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.