Military Housing Readiness Council Act
Bill: S.4742 | Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Military Housing Readiness Council Act
This bill establishes the Department of Defense Military Housing Readiness Council to review and make recommendations to the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding policies for privatized military housing.
The council must also monitor compliance by DOD with statutory improvements to policies for privatized military housing and make recommendations to improve collaboration, awareness, and promotion of accurate and timely information about privatized military housing, accommodations available through the Exceptional Family Member Program, and other support services among policymakers, service providers, and targeted beneficiaries.
The council must make all documents publicly available until the council ceases to exist.

To amend title 10, United States Code, to create a Department of 
  Defense Military Housing Readiness Council to enhance oversight and 
  accountability for deficiencies in military housing, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Housing Readiness Council 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MILITARY HOUSING READINESS COUNCIL.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 88 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1781c the following new section:
``Sec. 1781d. Department of Defense Military Housing Readiness Council
    ``(a) In General.--There is in the Department of Defense the 
Department of Defense Military Housing Readiness Council (in this 
section referred to as the `Council').
    ``(b) Members.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Council shall be composed of the 
        following members:
                    ``(A) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
                Energy, Installations, and Environment, who shall serve 
                as chair of the Council and who may designate a 
                representative to chair the Council in the absence of 
                the Assistant Secretary.
                    ``(B) One representative of each of the Army, Navy, 
                Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, each of whom 
                shall be a member of the armed force to be represented 
                and not fewer than two of which shall be from an 
                enlisted component.
                    ``(C) One spouse of an active component member of 
                each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and 
                Space Force, not fewer than two of which shall be the 
                spouse of an enlisted component member.
                    ``(D) One individual appointed by the Secretary of 
                Defense among representatives of the International Code 
                Council.
                    ``(E) One individual appointed by the Secretary of 
                Defense among representatives of the Institute of 
                Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification.
                    ``(F) One individual appointed by the Chair of the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the Senate who is not 
                described in subparagraph (B) or (C) and is not a 
                representative of an organization specified in 
                subparagraph (D) or (E).
                    ``(G) One individual appointed by the Ranking 
                Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate 
                who is not described in subparagraph (B) or (C) and is 
                not a representative of an organization specified in 
                subparagraph (D) or (E).
                    ``(H) One individual appointed by the Chair of the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives who is not described in subparagraph 
                (B) or (C) and is not a representative of an 
                organization specified in subparagraph (D) or (E).
                    ``(I) One individual appointed by the Ranking 
                Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the House 
                of Representatives who is not described in subparagraph 
                (B) or (C) and is not a representative of an 
                organization specified in subparagraph (D) or (E).
            ``(2) Terms.--The term on the Council of the members 
        specified under subparagraphs (B) through (H) of paragraph (1) 
        shall be two years and may be renewed by the Secretary of 
        Defense.
            ``(3) Attendance by landlords.--The chair of the Council 
        shall extend an invitation to each landlord for one 
        representative of each landlord to attend such meetings of the 
        Council as the chair considers appropriate.
    ``(c) Meetings.--The Council shall meet not less often than four 
times each year.
    ``(d) Duties.--The duties of the Council shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) To review and make recommendations to the Secretary 
        of Defense regarding policies for privatized military housing, 
        including inspections practices, resident surveys, landlord 
        payment of medical bills for residents of housing units that 
        have not maintained minimum standards of habitability, and 
        access to maintenance work order systems.
            ``(2) To monitor compliance by the Department with and 
        effective implementation by the Department of statutory 
        improvements to policies for privatized military housing, 
        including the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant 
        Bill of Rights developed under section 2890 of this title and 
        the complaint database established under section 2894a of this 
        title.
            ``(3) To make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense 
        to improve collaboration, awareness, and promotion of accurate 
        and timely information about privatized military housing, 
        accommodations available through the Exceptional Family Member 
        Program of the Department of Defense, and other support 
        services among policymakers, service providers, and targeted 
        beneficiaries.
    ``(e) Public Reporting.--
            ``(1) Availability of documents.--Subject to section 552 of 
        title 5 (commonly known as the `Freedom of Information Act'), 
        the records, reports, transcripts, minutes, appendices, working 
        papers, drafts, studies, agenda, and other documents made 
        available to or prepared for or by the Council shall be 
        available for public inspection and copying at a single 
        location in a publicly accessible format on a website of the 
        Department of Defense until the Council ceases to exist.
            ``(2) Minutes.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Detailed minutes of each meeting 
                of the Council shall be kept and shall contain--
                            ``(i) a record of the individuals present;
                            ``(ii) a complete and accurate description 
                        of matters discussed and conclusions reached; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) copies of all reports received, 
                        issued, or approved by the Council.
                    ``(B) Certification.--The chair of the Council 
                shall certify the accuracy of the minutes of each 
                meeting of the Council.
    ``(f) Annual Reports.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than March 1 each year, the 
        Council shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the 
        congressional defense committees a report on privatized 
        military housing readiness.
            ``(2) Elements.--Each report under this subsection shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) An assessment of the adequacy and 
                effectiveness of the provision of privatized military 
                housing and the activities of the Department of Defense 
                in meeting the needs of military families relating to 
                housing during the preceding fiscal year.
                    ``(B) A description of activities of the Council 
                during the preceding fiscal year, including--
                            ``(i) analyses of complaints of tenants of 
                        housing units;
                            ``(ii) data received by the Council on 
                        maintenance response time and completion of 
                        maintenance requests relating to housing units;
                            ``(iii) assessments of dispute resolution 
                        processes;
                            ``(iv) assessments of overall customer 
                        service for tenants;
                            ``(v) assessments of results of housing 
                        inspections conducted with and without notice; 
                        and
                            ``(vi) any survey results conducted on 
                        behalf of or received by the Council.
                    ``(C) Recommendations on actions to be taken to 
                improve the capability of the provision of privatized 
                military housing and the activities of the Department 
                of Defense to meet the needs and requirements of 
                military families relating to housing, including 
                actions relating to the allocation of funding and other 
                resources.
            ``(3) Public availability.--Each report under this 
        subsection shall be made available in a publicly accessible 
        format on a website of the Department of Defense.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Landlord.--The term `landlord' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 2871 of this title.
            ``(2) Privatized military housing.--The term `privatized 
        military housing' means housing provided under subchapter IV of 
        chapter 169 of this title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1781c the following new item:

``1781d. Department of Defense Military Housing Readiness Council.''.
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