A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Defense to carry out a quadrennial review of the quality of life in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Summary: Directs the Secretary of Defense, every four years, to conduct a comprehensive examination of the quality of life of members of the armed forces, including morale, welfare, and recreation activities and other programs and projects of the Department of Defense.

SECTION 1. QUADRENNIAL QUALITY OF LIFE REVIEW.

    (a) Requirement for Review.--Chapter 23 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 888. Quadrennial quality of life review
    ``(a) Review Required.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall every 
four years, two years after the submission of the quadrennial defense 
review to Congress under section 118 of this title, conduct a 
comprehensive examination of the quality of life of the members of the 
armed forces (to be known as the `quadrennial quality of life review'). 
The review shall include examination of the programs, projects, and 
activities of the Department of Defense, including the morale, welfare, 
and recreation activities.
    ``(2) The quadrennial review shall be designed to result in 
determinations, and to foster policies and actions, that reflect the 
priority given the quality of life of members of the armed forces as a 
primary concern of the Department of Defense leadership.
    ``(3) Each quadrennial quality of life review shall be conducted in 
consultation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
    ``(b) Conduct of Review.--Each quadrennial quality of life review 
shall be conducted so as--
            ``(1) to assess quality of life priorities and issues 
        consistent with the most recent National Security Strategy 
        prescribed by the President pursuant to section 108 of the 
        National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 404a);
            ``(2) to identify actions that are needed in order to 
        provide members of the armed forces with the quality of life 
        reasonably necessary to encourage the successful execution of 
        the full range of missions that the members are called on to 
        perform under the national security strategy;
            ``(3) to provide a full accounting of the backlog of 
        installations in need of maintenance and repair, to determine 
        how the disrepair affects performance and quality of life of 
        members and their families, and to identify the budget plan 
        that would be required to provide the resources necessary to 
        remedy the backlog of maintenance and repair; and
            ``(4) to identify other actions that have the potential for 
        improving the quality of life of the members of the armed 
        forces.
    ``(c) Considerations.--Among the matters considered by the 
Secretary in conducting the quadrennial review, the Secretary shall 
include the following matters:
            ``(1) Infrastructure.
            ``(2) Military construction.
            ``(3) Physical conditions at military installations and 
        other Department of Defense facilities.
            ``(4) Budget plans.
            ``(5) Adequacy of medical care for members of the armed 
        forces and their dependents.
            ``(6) Adequacy of housing and the basic allowance for 
        housing and basic allowance for subsistence.
            ``(7) Housing-related utility costs.
            ``(8) Educational opportunities and costs.
            ``(9) Length of deployments.
            ``(10) Rates of pay, and pay differentials between the pay 
        of members and the pay of civilians.
            ``(11) Retention and recruiting efforts.
            ``(12) Workplace safety.
            ``(13) Support services for spouses and children.
            ``(14) Other elements of Department of Defense programs and 
        Federal Government policies and programs that affect the 
        quality of life of members.
    ``(d) Submission of QQLR to Congressional Committees.--The 
Secretary shall submit a report on each quadrennial quality of life 
review to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 
of Representatives. The report shall be submitted not later than 
September 30 of the year in which the review is conducted. The report 
shall include the following:
            ``(1) The results of the review, including a comprehensive 
        discussion of how the quality of life of members of the armed 
        forces affects the national security strategy of the United 
        States.
            ``(2) The long-term quality of life problems of the armed 
        forces, together with proposed solutions.
            ``(3) The short-term quality of life problems of the armed 
        forces, together with proposed solutions.
            ``(4) The assumptions used in the review.
            ``(5) The effects of quality of life problems on the morale 
        of the members of the armed forces.
            ``(6) The quality of life problems that affect the morale 
        of members of the reserve components in particular, together 
        with solutions.
            ``(7) The effects of quality of life problems on military 
        preparedness and readiness.
            ``(8) The appropriate ratio of--
                    ``(A) the total amount expended by the Department 
                of Defense in a fiscal year for programs, projects, and 
                activities designed to improve the quality of life of 
                members of the armed forces, to
                    ``(B) the total amount expended by the Department 
                of Defense in the fiscal year.
    ``(e) Independent Review.--Before submitting the report on the 
quadrennial quality of life review under subsection (d), the Secretary 
of Defense shall make the report available for review and comment by 
entities independent of the Department of Defense that are concerned 
with the quality of life of members of the armed forces.
    ``(f) CJCS Review.--Upon the completion of each quadrennial quality 
of life review, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall prepare 
and submit to the Secretary of Defense the Chairman's assessment of the 
review, including the Chairman's assessment of the quality of life of 
members of the armed forces. The Chairman's assessment shall be 
submitted to the Secretary of Defense in time for the inclusion of the 
assessment in the report. The Secretary shall include the Chairman's 
assessment, together with the Secretary's comments, in the report in 
its entirety.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``888. Quadrennial quality of life review.''.