To improve the review and effectiveness of the cost of living adjustments to pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty station is located in the 19th Congressional District of California, and for other purposes.

Bill: 119-hr-3120
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
Introduced: 2025-04-30
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Latest action: action_date: 2025-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3120 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 30, 2025 Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services , and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To improve the review and effectiveness of the cost of living adjustments to pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty station is located in the 19th Congressional District of California, and for other purposes.

1. Report on cost of living adjustment (a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) United States military personnel and Department of Defense civilians should be financially supported as they face frequent relocation over the course of their service, including in high-cost areas that can place financial burdens on these personnel; (2) the United States should provide for the basic needs of these personnel, including by offsetting the rising costs of goods and services, which are considerable in the sate of California, where the overall cost of living is markedly higher than the national average, including for housing, transportation, groceries, and healthcare; (3) the current means of calculating cost of living adjustment rates (in this section referred to as COLA ) may provide inaccurate or incomplete data, which is a concern as the cost of living in the 19th congressional district of California may exceed the 107 percent index used to determine COLA rates; and (4) the means for calculating COLA should be periodically reviewed to ensure accuracy and make certain that the United States appropriately cares for military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of Defense. (b) Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on cost of living adjustment calculations for purposes of pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty station is located in the 19th Congressional District of California. Such report shall include— (1) an explanation of the methods used to collect data and the factors used to determine such cost of living adjustment; (2) an assessment of the appropriateness of including in the calculation of such cost of living adjustment the presence of military commissaries or exchanges; (3) the evaluation of the Under Secretary of— (A) whether any locations within the 19th Congressional District of California should be considered a high-cost area for purposes of chapter 67 of volume 7A of the Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation; (B) whether the existence of a military commissary in Monterey, California, provides substantial financial support that affects the determination of a cost of living adjustment; and (C) the advisability of providing certain areas within the 19th Congressional District of California with an increased cost of living adjustment; and (4) a comparison of the factors that contribute to a determination of the cost of living adjustments that are applied to Monterey, California, and Santa Clara, California.