I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 279 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide a period for the relocation 
of spouses and dependents of certain members of the Armed Forces 
undergoing a permanent change of station in order to ease and facilitate 
the relocation of military families, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2017 
Ms. STEFANIK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide a period 
for the relocation of spouses and dependents of certain 
members of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent 
change of station in order to ease and facilitate the 
relocation of military families, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Family Sta-
bility Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The approach to military families within the 
Department of Defense has changed considerably 
over the past decade, and recruitment and retention 
of military families is now seen as at least as impor-
tant as the recruitment and retention of individual 
members of the Armed Forces. 
(2) Numerous programs exist within the De-
partment to address the challenges and needs of 
military families, but the current military family 
readiness system falls short of providing military 
families the flexibility they need during moves in 
connection with permanent changes of station 
(PCS). 
(3) More military spouses are employed, and 
military spouses have higher levels of educational at-
tainment, than ever before, and retention of the 
force in the future will depend fundamentally on re-
tention of the military family. 
(4) All members of the Army and the Marine 
Corps in pay grade E–5 and below, and all members 
of the Navy and the Air Force in pay grade E–4 and 
below, are eligible for no-cost temporary housing. 
(5) From October 1, 2014, to September 30, 
2015, every military installation of each Armed 
Force had unaccompanied quarters available for 
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members described in paragraph (4) according to 
Permanent Party Unaccompanied Housing Net Uti-
lization reports of the Department. 
(6) The members described in paragraph (4) 
comprise more than 30 percent of the total military 
population with families, according to Department 
manpower data under the Active Duty Family File. 
SEC. 3. PERIOD FOR RELOCATION OF SPOUSES AND DE-
PENDENTS OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE 
ARMED FORCES UNDERGOING A PERMANENT 
CHANGE OF STATION. 
(a) PERIOD OF RELOCATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 88 
of title 10, United States Code, is amended by in-
serting after section 1784a the following new sec-
tion: 
‘‘§ 1784b. Relocation of spouses and dependents in 
connection with the permanent change of 
station of certain members 
‘‘(a) ELECTION
OF TIMING
OF RELOCATION
OF 
SPOUSES IN CONNECTION WITH PCS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 
and subsection (c), a member of the armed forces 
undergoing a permanent change of station and the 
member’s spouse may jointly elect that the spouse 
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bility to make the election is in the interests of 
the member and spouse for family stability dur-
ing the covered relocation period and in the in-
terests of the armed force concerned. Any such 
determination shall be made on a case-by-case 
basis. 
‘‘(b) ELECTION OF TIMING OF RELOCATION OF CER-
TAIN DEPENDENTS OF UNMARRIED MEMBERS IN CON-
NECTION WITH PCS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c), a 
member of the armed forces undergoing a perma-
nent change of station who has one or more depend-
ents described in paragraph (2) and is no longer 
married to the individual who is or was the parent 
(including parent by adoption) of such dependents at 
the beginning of the covered period of relocation 
may elect that such dependents may relocate to the 
location to which the member will relocate in connec-
tion with the permanent change of station at such 
time during the covered relocation period as elected 
as follows: 
‘‘(A) By the member alone if such indi-
vidual is dead or has no custodial rights in such 
dependents at the beginning of such period. 
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‘‘(B) By the member and such individual 
jointly in all other circumstances. 
‘‘(2) DEPENDENTS.—The dependents described 
in this paragraph are as follows: 
‘‘(A) Dependents over the age of 19 years 
for whom the member has power of attorney re-
garding residence. 
‘‘(B) Dependents under the age of 20 
years who will reside with a caregiver according 
to the Family Care Plan of the member during 
the covered period of relocation until relocated 
pursuant to an election under this subsection. 
‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) OUTSTANDING
PERIOD
OF
OBLIGATED 
SERVICE AT TIME OF ELECTION.—A member may 
not make an election under subsection (a) or (b) un-
less the member’s period of obligated service, or the 
time remaining under the member’s enlistment con-
tract, at the time of election is not less than 24 
months. 
‘‘(2) NUMBER OF ELECTIONS.—The aggregate 
number of elections made by a member under sub-
sections (a) and (b) may not exceed three elections. 
‘‘(d) HOUSING.—(1)(A) If the spouse of a member 
relocates before the member in accordance with an election 
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pursuant to subsection (a), the member shall be assigned 
to quarters or other housing facilities of the United States 
as a bachelor, if such quarters are available, until the date 
of the member’s permanent change of station. 
‘‘(B) The quarters or housing facilities to which a 
member is assigned pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall, 
to the extent practicable, be quarters or housing facilities 
that do not impose or collect a lease fee on the member 
for occupancy. 
‘‘(C)(i) If quarters or housing facilities that do not 
impose or collect a lease fee for occupancy are not avail-
able for a particular member, the quarters or housing fa-
cilities to which the member is assigned shall be quarters 
or housing facilities that impose or collect the lowest rea-
sonable lease fee for occupancy that can be obtained for 
the member by the Secretary concerned for purposes of 
this subparagraph. 
‘‘(ii) Each Secretary concerned shall provide for the 
insertion into contracts for the acquisition or improvement 
of military unaccompanied housing pursuant to sub-
chapter IV of chapter 169 of this title of a clause permit-
ting members covered by this subparagraph to be assigned 
to such military unaccompanied housing at the lease fee 
for occupancy obtained by the Secretary concerned pursu-
ant to clause (i) for a period of not more than 150 days. 
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‘‘(2) If a spouse and any dependents of a member 
covered by an election under this section reside in housing 
of the United States at the beginning of the covered period 
of relocation, the spouse and dependents may continue to 
reside in such housing throughout the covered period of 
relocation, regardless of the date of the member’s perma-
nent change of station. 
‘‘(3) If a spouse and any dependents of a member 
covered by an election under this section are eligible to 
reside in housing of the United States following the mem-
ber’s permanent change of station, the spouse and depend-
ents may commence residing in such housing at any time 
during the covered relocation period, regardless of the date 
of the member’s permanent change of station. 
‘‘(e) BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING; STIPEND.— 
(1)(A) In the case of a member undergoing a permanent 
change of station who is paid basic allowance for housing 
at the with-dependents rate at the beginning of the cov-
ered relocation period, the member shall be paid basic al-
lowance for housing at the with-dependents rate for 
months beginning during the covered relocation period re-
gardless of the date on which the member’s spouse and 
any dependents relocate pursuant to an election under this 
section or the assignment of the member to quarters or 
facilities pursuant to subsection (d)(1). 
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‘‘(B) In determining the portion of basic allowance 
for housing payable to a member under this paragraph 
that is payable with respect to the member’s dependents, 
the geographic location of the dependents shall govern 
rather than the geographic location of the member. 
‘‘(2) If quarters are not available for the assignment 
of a member as described in subsection (d)(1), the member 
shall be paid an amount (determined in accordance with 
the regulations applicable to the member’s armed force 
pursuant to subsection (h)) appropriate to compensate the 
member for cost of the housing in which the member re-
sides in lieu of such quarters until the date on which the 
member and the member’s spouse reside in the same geo-
graphic area after the member’s permanent change of sta-
tion. Any amount payable to a member pursuant to this 
paragraph is in addition to amounts payable to the mem-
ber under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(f) TRANSPORTATION OF PROPERTY.—(1)(A) The 
professional gear of a member relocating as described in 
subsection (a) or (b) shall be transported at the time of 
the member’s relocation and in an amount, and subject 
to any terms and conditions, applicable to the transpor-
tation or shipment of such gear by applicable law. 
‘‘(B) The personal property of the spouse and any 
dependents of a member relocating as described in sub-
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section (a) or (b) shall be transported at the time of such 
relocation or as otherwise provided by applicable law. 
‘‘(2) Except as provided in paragraph (1), any trans-
portation allowances authorized for the transportation of 
the personal property of a member and spouse making an 
election under subsection (a) may be allocated among the 
personal property of the member and spouse in such man-
ner as the member and spouse shall select. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection, the terms ‘transportation al-
lowances’ and ‘personal property’ have the meaning given 
such terms in section 451(b) of title 37. 
‘‘(g) APPROVAL.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall 
establish a single approval process for applications for cov-
erage under this section. The process shall apply uniformly 
among the armed forces. 
‘‘(2) Applications for approval for coverage under this 
section shall consist of such elements (including documen-
tary evidence) as the Secretary shall prescribe for pur-
poses of the approval process required by this subsection. 
‘‘(3) The approval process required by this subsection 
shall ensure that the processing of applications for cov-
erage under this section is completed in a timely manner 
that permits a spouse and any dependents to relocate 
whenever during the covered relocation period selected in 
the election concerned. In meeting that requirement, the 
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approval process shall provide for the processing of appli-
cations at the lowest level in the chain of command of 
members as is appropriate to ensure proper administra-
tion of this section. 
‘‘(h) REGULATIONS.—Each Secretary concerned shall 
prescribe regulations for the administration of this section 
with respect to the armed force or forces under the juris-
diction of such Secretary. 
‘‘(i) COVERED RELOCATION PERIOD DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘covered relocation period’, in con-
nection with the permanent change of station of a mem-
ber, means the period that— 
‘‘(1) begins 180 days before the date of the per-
manent change of station; and 
‘‘(2) ends 180 days after the date of the perma-
nent change of station.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of subchapter I of chapter 88 
of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1784a the following new item: 
‘‘1784b. Relocation of spouses and dependents in connection with the permanent 
change of station of certain members.’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection 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 
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Armed Forces that occur on or after the date that 
is 180 days after such effective date. 
(b) 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 sub-
mit to Congress a report on potential actions of the 
Department of Defense to enhance the stability of 
military families undergoing a permanent change of 
station. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) A comparison of the current percent-
age of spouses in military families who work 
with the percentage of spouses in military fami-
lies who worked in the recent past, and an as-
sessment of the impact of the change in such 
percentage on military families. 
(B) An assessment of the effects of reloca-
tion of military families undergoing a perma-
nent change of station on the employment, edu-
cation, and licensure of spouses of military fam-
ilies. 
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(C) An assessment of the effects of reloca-
tion of military families undergoing a perma-
nent change of station on military children, in-
cluding effect on their mental health. 
(D) An identification of potential actions 
of the Department to enhance the stability of 
military families undergoing a permanent 
change of station and to generate cost savings 
in connection with such changes of station. 
(E) Such other matters as the Comptroller 
General considers appropriate. 
(3) ADDITIONAL
ELEMENT
ON
FUNDING
OF 
MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMS.—In addition 
to the elements specified in paragraph (2), the re-
port 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, 2015, on recruiting 
and retention bonuses and special pays for 
members of such Armed Force; with 
(B) the average annual amount spent by 
such Armed Force over such period on pro-
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grams for military families and support of mili-
tary families. 
Æ 
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