WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Salud Carbajal (CA-24) have introduced H.R. 7144, Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act.
This legislation will direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a centralized Military Housing Feedback Tool for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families to identify, rate, and compare housing.
Too often, service members experience poor living conditions or hazardous situations. This will enable service members to report issues in real-time and find swift resolutions to inadequate conditions.
“As an Army dad, I believe our service members and their families deserve to have safe and comfortable housing,” Thompson said. “They should feel confident if an issue arises it will be resolved in a timely manner. Our bill will provide the tools needed to increase transparency and oversight, with the goal of fixing a system plagued with issues.”
“Having safe and functional housing is a key promise that we make to our service members and military families, but too often I hear stories of military housing not meeting those standards. As a veteran, I know the importance of our service members having ways to report these subpar conditions,” Carbajal said.
“This bipartisan bill would raise the bar for our military housing by giving our service members and the Department of Defense a centralized place to see housing options and root out problems or unsafe conditions. And by encouraging members to report neglect and hazards in these homes, we can strengthen the oversight conducted within our armed forces and before our committees of jurisdiction.”
“Too often service members and families, whether living in barracks or family housing, are confronted with poor living conditions. Mold, infestations, unsafe drinking water, and other unacceptable situations continue to plague our service members and their families. The VFW commends Representatives Thompson and Carbajal for introducing bipartisan legislation that would create a Military Housing Feedback Tool. This tool would give those affected a way to make their voices heard without having to wait years for solutions to their problems,” said Brittany Dymond, associate director, VFW National Legislative Service.
The Military Coalition supports this bill. The Coalition includes the following organizations:
- Air Force Association (AFA)
- Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA)
- AMVETS (American Veterans)
- Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA)
- AMSUS, the Society of Federal Health Professionals
- Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
- Association of the United States Navy (AUSN)
- Blinded Veterans Association (BVA)
- Commissioned Officers Association of the US Public Health Service (COA)
- Chief Warrant Officers Association of the US Coast Guard (CWOA)
- Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS)
- Fleet Reserve Association (FRA)
- Gold Star Wives of America (GSW)
- Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (JWV)
- Marine Corps League (MCL)
- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
- Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA)
- Military Chaplains Association of the United States of America (MCA)
- Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)
- Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH)
- National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS)
- National Military Family Association (NMFA)
- Naval Enlisted Reserve Association (NERA)
- Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA)
- Reserve Organization of America (ROA)
- Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN)
- The Independence Fund (TIF)
- The Enlisted Association (TREA)
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
- United States Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA)
- USCG Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA)
- Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
- VetsFirst
- Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
- Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
