Military Family Stability Act

Summary: Military Family Stability Act This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to prescribe regulations that permit an eligible member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing a permanent change of station within the United States to request specified housing treatment during the period from 180 days before to 180 days after such change. An &quot;eligible member&quot; is a member who:   has a spouse who is gainfully employed or enrolled in a degree, certificate, or license granting program at the beginning of such period;   has one or more dependents attending an elementary or secondary school at the beginning of such period;   has one or more dependents enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program; or   is caring for an immediate family member with a chronic or long-term illness at the beginning of such period.   If a spouse or other dependent of a member whose request for such housing treatment is approved: (1) resides in government-owned or government-leased housing at the beginning of such period, he or she may continue to reside there during such period; and (2) relocates at a time different from the member, the member may be assigned to housing intended for members without a spouse or dependent until the member's detachment date or the spouse or other dependent's arrival date, if such housing is available without displacing a member without a spouse or dependent. (The bill specifies alternatives for the basic housing allowance to be provided in such case.) The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on potential DOD actions to enhance the well-being of military families undergoing a permanent change of station.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Family Stability Act''.

SEC. 2. HOUSING TREATMENT FOR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES, AND 
              THEIR SPOUSES AND OTHER DEPENDENTS, UNDERGOING A 
              PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Housing Treatment.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code, 
        is amended by inserting after section 403 the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 403a. Housing treatment for certain members of the Armed Forces, 
              and their spouses and other dependents, undergoing a 
              permanent change of station within the United States
    ``(a) Housing Treatment for Certain Members Who Have a Spouse or 
Other Dependents.--
            ``(1) Housing treatment regulations.--The Secretary of 
        Defense shall prescribe regulations that permit a member of the 
        armed forces described in paragraph (2) who is undergoing a 
        permanent change of station within the United States to request 
        the housing treatment described in subsection (b) during the 
        covered relocation period of the member.
            ``(2) Eligible members.--A member described in this 
        paragraph is any member who--
                    ``(A) has a spouse who is gainfully employed or 
                enrolled in a degree, certificate or license granting 
                program at the beginning of the covered relocation 
                period;
                    ``(B) has one or more dependents attending an 
                elementary or secondary school at the beginning of the 
                covered relocation period;
                    ``(C) has one or more dependents enrolled in the 
                Exceptional Family Member Program; or
                    ``(D) is caring for an immediate family member with 
                a chronic or long-term illness at the beginning of the 
                covered relocation period.
    ``(b) Housing Treatment.--
            ``(1) Continuation of housing for the spouse and other 
        dependents.--If a spouse or other dependent of a member whose 
        request under subsection (a) is approved resides in Government-
        owned or Government-leased housing at the beginning of the 
        covered relocation period, the spouse or other dependent may 
        continue to reside in such housing during a period determined 
        in accordance with the regulations prescribed pursuant to this 
        section.
            ``(2) Early housing eligibility.--If a spouse or other 
        dependent of a member whose request under subsection (a) is 
        approved is eligible to reside in Government-owned or 
        Government-leased housing following the member's permanent 
        change of station within the United States, the spouse or other 
        dependent may commence residing in such housing at any time 
        during the covered relocation period.
            ``(3) Temporary use of government-owned or government-
        leased housing intended for members without a spouse or 
        dependent.--If a spouse or other dependent of a member 
        relocates at a time different from the member in accordance 
        with a request approved under subsection (a), the member may be 
        assigned to Government-owned or Government-leased housing 
        intended for the permanent housing of members without a spouse 
        or dependent until the member's detachment date or the spouse 
        or other dependent's arrival date, but only if such Government-
        owned or Government-leased housing is available without 
        displacing a member without a spouse or dependent at such 
        housing.
            ``(4) Equitable basic allowance for housing.--If a spouse 
        or other dependent of a member relocates at a time different 
        from the member in accordance with a request approved under 
        subsection (a), the amount of basic allowance for housing 
        payable may be based on whichever of the following areas the 
        Secretary concerned determines to be the most equitable:
                    ``(A) The area of the duty station to which the 
                member is reassigned.
                    ``(B) The area in which the spouse or other 
                dependent resides, but only if the spouse or other 
                dependent resides in that area when the member departs 
                for the duty station to which the member is reassigned, 
                and only for the period during which the spouse or 
                other dependent resides in that area.
                    ``(C) The area of the former duty station of the 
                member, but only if that area is different from the 
                area in which the spouse or other dependent resides.
    ``(c) Rule of Construction Related to Certain Basic Allowance for 
Housing Payments.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit 
the payment or the amount of basic allowance for housing payable under 
section 403(d)(3)(A) of this title to a member whose request under 
subsection (a) is approved.
    ``(d) Housing Treatment Education.--The regulations prescribed 
pursuant to this section shall ensure the relocation assistance 
programs under section 1056 of title 10 include, as part of the 
assistance normally provided under such section, education about the 
housing treatment available under this section.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered relocation period.--(A) Subject to 
        subparagraph (B), the term `covered relocation period', when 
        used with respect to a permanent change of station of a member 
        of the armed forces, means the period that--
                    ``(i) begins 180 days before the date of the 
                permanent change of station; and
                    ``(ii) ends 180 days after the date of the 
                permanent change of station.
            ``(B) The regulations prescribed pursuant to this section 
        may provide for a lengthening of the covered relocation period 
        of a member for purposes of this section.
            ``(2) Dependent.--The term `dependent' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 401 of this title.
            ``(3) Permanent change of station.--The term `permanent 
        change of station' means a permanent change of station 
        described in section 452(b)(2) of this title.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 7 such title is amended by inserting after 
        the item relating to section 403 the following new item:

``403a. Housing treatment for certain members of the armed forces, and 
                            their spouses and other dependents, 
                            undergoing a permanent change of station 
                            within the United States.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply with 
respect to permanent changes of station of members of the Armed Forces 
that occur on or after October 1 of the fiscal year that begins after 
such date of enactment.
    (c) Comptroller General of the United States Report.--
            (1) Report required.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
        the United States shall submit to Congress a report on 
        potential actions of the Department of Defense to enhance the 
        well-being of military families undergoing a permanent change 
        of station.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) A comparison of the current percentage of 
                spouses in military families who work with the 
                percentage of spouses in military families who worked 
                in the recent past, and an assessment of the impact of 
                the change in such percentage on military families.
                    (B) An assessment of the effects of relocation of 
                military families undergoing a permanent change of 
                station on the employment, education, and licensure of 
                spouses of military families.
                    (C) An identification of potential actions of the 
                Department to enhance the well-being of military 
                families undergoing a permanent change of station and 
                to generate cost savings in connection with such 
                changes of station.
                    (D) An assessment of the utilization rate of the 
                housing treatment provided by section 403a of title 37, 
                United States Code (as added by subsection (a)).
                    (E) Such other matters as the Comptroller General 
                considers appropriate.
            (3) Additional element on funding military family support 
        programs.--In addition to the elements specified in paragraph 
        (2), the report required by paragraph (1) shall also include a 
        comparison of--
                    (A) the average annual amount spent by each Armed 
                Force over the five-year period ending on December 31, 
                2016, on recruitment and retention bonuses and special 
                pays for members of such Armed Force; and
                    (B) the average annual amount spent by such Armed 
                Force over such period on programs for military 
                families and support of military families.