Northwest PA News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Salud Carbajal (CA-24) on Tuesday introduced the Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act as part of Military Appreciation Month.

For several years now, military housing has been plagued with widespread complaints of neglect and unsafe conditions such as mold, lead-based paint, asbestos, poor water quality and sewage, and careless repairs.

To address the lack of information service members have on military housing, Congress previously directed the Secretary of Defense to develop a centralized assessment tool for members of the Armed Forces and their family members to identify, rate, and compare housing options.

While this was a step in the right direction to improve the living conditions for service members and their families, it did not cover all military housing and provided little oversight requirements. Additionally, the Department of Defense has yet to implement this tool.

The Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act will expand access to the tool, upon implementation, to all service members and their dependents, as well as enhance the reporting requirements to ensure accountability.

Too often, service members experience poor living conditions or hazardous situations. This will enable service members to report issues in real-time and find swift resolutions to inadequate conditions. 

“As an Army dad, I know first-hand the challenges our service men and women face when finding safe and comfortable housing,” Rep. Thompson said. “They should feel confident if an issue arises it will be resolved, and in a timely manner. This bipartisan bill is a step in the right direction and will improve transparency and oversight, with the goal of fixing a system that has serious issues.”

"Our servicemembers–who sacrifice so much to protect our country–deserve reliable and safe housing for themselves and their families. However, too often I hear stories of military housing not meeting those standards. As a veteran, I’m dedicated to ensuring our servicemembers and their families have access to high-quality housing," Rep. Carbajal said. “This bipartisan bill would create a centralized tool to address housing issues within military bases. By providing a way for servicemembers to see and compare housing options, and to report issues and hazards in real-time, we can improve housing conditions."

“For too long, military housing has been dilapidated, antiquated, and in some cases, downright dangerous. The Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act expands the housing feedback tool to require an annual report to Congress — the first step in fixing this problem. With Honor Action is proud to support this bill and thanks Rep. Carbajal, Rep. Thompson, and members of the For Country Caucus for spearheading this important effort.” – Rye Barcott, With Honor Action Co-Founder and CEO 

“No service member should have to endure substandard housing conditions like mold, leaking toilets, or lack of air conditioning while being expected to maintain positive morale, well-being, and mission readiness. Moreover, the type of housing units in which service members live should not determine whether they have a voice when their housing problems are unresolved through no fault of their own. The VFW is pleased to see the introduction of the Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act, and we commend the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15th) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24th) on this issue. This bill would enable service members living in government-owned-and-controlled housing to use the same complaint database to which those living in privatized military housing will soon have access.” – Brittany Dymond, Associate Director, VFW National Security and Foreign Affairs Directorate

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Issues: Military Service & Veterans Affairs

Original source can be found here.