U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) last week introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill that aims to ensure United States military service members and their families have safe housing conditions.
The Military Housing Readiness Council Act, which has been included in the U.S. Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, S. 4543, also was introduced by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA). The U.S. House of Representatives on July 14 passed its version of the FY 2023 NDAA, H.R. 7900, which the Senate is now trying to reconcile with S. 4543.
If enacted, the Military Housing Readiness Council Act included in the larger bill would create a Military Housing Readiness Council comprised of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) officials, service members, military families, and military housing experts, among others, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
The council would be tasked with ensuring ongoing oversight of deficiencies in privatized military housing, the summary says, as well as responsibility for full implementation of a tenants’ bill of rights, completion of the public complaint database, and public reporting on all its activities.
“I have long been a proponent of safe and accessible housing for all military personnel and military families,” Sen. Tillis said. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to establish a Military Housing Readiness Council within the DOD to make recommendations regarding privatized housing and support services and monitor all compliance with current law.”
Specifically, the Military Housing Readiness Council Act would regularly engage stakeholders by requiring the council to meet no fewer than four times a year and to make additional recommendations to improve collaboration, awareness and promotion of accurate and timely information about privatized military housing, according to the summary.