Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act
- Last Action
- 5/20/2019
Actions
- 2019-05-20Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- 2019-05-02Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- 2019-04-30Referred to the Subcommittee on Readiness.
- 2019-04-29Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
- 2019-04-29Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
- 2019-04-29Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and the Judiciary, 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.
- 2019-04-29Introduced in House
- 2019-04-29Introduced in House
CRS Summary
As of 2019-04-29 (00)
Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act
This bill addresses Department of Defense (DOD) oversight and service member-protections in DOD-sponsored private military housing. Among other things, the bill covers contracts, unit inspection, remedying substandard conditions, handling housing-related injuries, and prohibiting improper financial interests by public officials.
Specifically, DOD must establish requirements for entering into and renewing contracts with private landlords and must make the financial details of such agreements public.
DOD must employ certified independent housing inspectors to ensure that private military housing units are safe, clean, and adequate and meet federal, state, and local laws and standards of habitability. DOD must allow state and local housing inspectors to conduct no-notice inspections, including on military installations.
DOD must require each landlord to provide access to the landlord's maintenance work order system. Service members may file a claim with DOD to withhold the basic allowance for housing if a landlord has not met maintenance guidelines or the unit is uninhabitable according to state and local law.
Military treatment facilities must screen service members and family members for medical conditions resulting from unsafe private housing and landlords must pay medical bills associated with housing-related injuries. The Department of Veterans Affairs must provide similar care for veterans and their families.
The bill prohibits members of defense-related congressional committees and certain military officers and high-level DOD employees from having a financial interest in private military housing. Violations are subject to civil penalties.
Cosponsors (20)
- SANFORD BISHOP (D-GA)
- Matt Cartwright (D-PA)
- ELEANOR NORTON (D-DC)
- Kathy Castor (D-FL)
- TIM RYAN (D-OH)
- Denny Heck (D-WA)
- Joseph Morelle (D-NY)
- Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
- Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
- JAMES MCGOVERN (D-MA)
- GRACE NAPOLITANO (D-CA)
- Ben Luján (D-NM)
- Derek Kilmer (D-WA)
- Anthony Brown (D-MD)
- Ro Khanna (D-CA)
- JANICE SCHAKOWSKY (D-IL)
- Henry Johnson (D-GA)
- Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
- Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
Subjects
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Building construction
- Business records
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Defense
- Federal officials
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government information and archives
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Health care coverage and access
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Hospital care
- Housing industry and standards
- Landlord and tenant
- Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Members of Congress
- Military facilities and property
- Military medicine
Sourced from Congress.gov (public domain).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.