To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish the Department of Defense Military Housing Readiness Council, and for other purposes.
Bill: H.R.8642 | Sponsor: Rep. Jacobs, Sara (D-CA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
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 establish the Department of 
  Defense Military Housing Readiness Council, 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. 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) 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) 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) 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) 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)(A) 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) The chair of the Council shall certify the accuracy of the 
minutes of each meeting of the Council.
    ``(f) Annual Reports.--(1) 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) 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) 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) The term `landlord' has the meaning given that term 
        in section 2871 of this title.
            ``(2) 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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