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Senator Warren Leads Charge on Military Housing Readiness Council Act

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, United States Representatives Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), members of the House Armed Services Committee, and Representatives Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) introduced the Military Housing Readiness Council Act [1], legislation that would ensure oversight and accountability on safe housing conditions for service members and military families.

The legislation would create a Military Housing Readiness Council comprised of Department of Defense (DoD) officials, service members, military families, and military housing experts to ensure ongoing oversight of deficiencies in privatized military housing. The Council’s mandate includes responsibility for full implementation of a tenants’ bill of rights, completion of the public complaint database, and public reporting on all its active military housing properties. The bill was included in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.

“For too long, many of our service members and military families have lived in unsafe privatized military housing with black mold, collapsed roofs, or exposed electrical wires because DoD is falling behind in proper oversight and providing safe housing to these service members,” said Senator Warren. “The bipartisan Military Housing Readiness Council Act will create a Council with a strong mandate to conduct oversight of military housing, collect public complaints, and report its work to Congress – ensuring that military families receive the safe housing conditions they deserve.”

“I have long been a proponent of safe and accessible housing for all military personnel and military families. 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,” said Senator Tillis.

"Our military families sacrifice enough. The least we can do is provide housing to them that's safe and hazard-free,” said Representative Ryan. “I’m proud to support the Military Housing Readiness Council Act to provide transparency and oversight over military housing, eliminate neglect and mismanagement, and ensure our service members don’t have to worry about their families’ housing while they are serving our nation.”

"Servicemembers and their families make incredible sacrifices for our country,"said Representative Porter. "We should be matching our gratitude for military families with action. Congress has repeatedly passed legislation to improve military housing conditions, but it's clear we need to do more to hold private companies accountable to the law. I'm proud to co-lead this legislation that'll boost oversight and better protect families in private military housing."

Specifically, the Military Housing Readiness Council Act would do the following:

The Military Housing Readiness Council Act is endorsed by the Military Officers Association of America, the National Military Family Association, and Armed Forces Housing Advocates.

“Establishing a Military Housing Readiness Council will provide servicemembers and military spouses with an opportunity to provide important feedback to Congress and DoD senior leaders,” said Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret), President and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America. “This Council will increase transparency, support accountability of the resolution process instituted by the Tenant Bill of Rights, and report on the impacts and trust in privatized housing.”

To read the full release in detail, click here [1].