Rounds’ Legislation to Improve Homeownership Opportunities for Native American Veterans Headed to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), today announced that his legislation to help Native American veterans achieve homeownership is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Native American Direct Loan (NADL) Improvement Act passed the Senate on December 12, 2024, and the House on December 16, 2024.

The NADL Improvement Act will reform the NADL program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and make it more accessible to Native American veterans living on trust land.

“Homeownership is part of the American dream and a key to building wealth,” said Rounds. “The mortgage lending process is particularly difficult on tribal trust land. My legislation seeks to improve the NADL program by offering enhanced outreach and other assistance as needed to Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing. I am pleased this bill is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law, making the dream of homeownership a reality for more of our veterans.” 

Specifically, the NADL Improvement Act will:

• Allow Native American veterans to use the NADL program to refinance other existing mortgages on the same property.
• Expand the VA’s existing NADL program outreach to include collaborating with local service providers that are familiar with the mortgage lending process on trust land, which would offer homebuyer education and housing counseling to assist Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing.
• Create a relending program to allow Native Community Development Financial Institutions to obtain loans through the NADL program and relend those funds to qualified Native American veterans.

BACKGROUND:

In June 2020, Rounds joined SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the NADL program. The report was published in April 2022. The GAO found that in Fiscal Years 2012 through 2021, NADL originated only 89 loans to veterans in the contiguous United States, despite there being an estimated 64,000 to 70,000 eligible veterans.

Following the release of the GAO report, Rounds first introduced the NADL Improvement Act in July 2022. It was reintroduced in the 118th Congress in February 2023, passing SVAC later that same month.

Click HERE for full bill text.

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