Marilyn Strickland
12/12/2024 | Press release | Archived content
Strickland, Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation Addressing Unsafe Conditions in Privatized Military Housing
Strickland At House Armed Services Committee
Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Representative Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Delegate James Moylan (R-Guam) introduced the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation reforms the privatized military housing system and responds to disturbing reports that have revealed unsafe and unsanitary conditions for service members and their families.
"It is well past time to increase, stabilize, and regulate the housing supply available for servicemembers," said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. "My district alone is home to over 40,000 active-duty service members and their families who deserve to be securely housed."
"The Department of Defense (DOD) owes a responsibility to our servicemembers to provide them and their families with safe and sanitary housing," said Senator Warren. "This bill will fundamentally reform a broken system and hold private housing providers accountable for their shameful failures."
"Our military families sacrifice so much for us - and the least we can do is ensure their housing is clean, safe, affordable, and meets their needs," said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. "While we've made progress in addressing inadequate housing across the country, we still have more work ahead to conduct necessary oversight, protect and empower tenants, and demand accountability for unacceptable conditions. Our military families deserve the best - and that's why I'm proud to introduce the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act to deliver comprehensive reform to our privatized military housing system that often overlooks landlords' negligence and silences military families."
"I am happy to announce that our office is co-leading with Rep Jacobs the Military Housing & Service Member Protection Act," said Delegate James Moylan of Guam. "This act focuses on Increased oversight, Transparency, Tenant Protections, Medical care provisions, and a commitment to ethical practices. Our Warfighters deserve the BEST conditions when away from their appointed places of duty and our office is FULLY committed to ensuring this is realized. I will continue to work with congressional leadership to champion our service members quality of life both now, and always! Lastly… Go Army, beat Navy, HOOAH!"
Current conditions of privatized military housing include toxic mold, rodent infestations, and lead-based paint. The Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act would:
- Increase oversight by requiring the Secretary of Defense to establish formal written guidance for all housing contracts.
- Demand transparency from housing providers by requiring an annual financial statement for each contract the provider has with DOD.
- Establish tenant protections by codifying that all federal, state, and local housing protections also apply to servicemembers including forbidding landlords from closing maintenance requests until an independent inspector has approved the work.
- Provide medical care by directing DOD to establish a health registry for all servicemembers and families to screen and track for medical conditions acquired as a result of unsafe housing and environmentally-caused medical conditions associated with residing in privatized military housing.
- Strengthen ethics by prohibiting all senior DOD officials and any Member of the House or Senate Armed Services Committees from owning any investments in an entity owned or controlled by a privatized housing provider.
In the Senate, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) have cosponsored the legislation. The Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act has been endorsed by the Military Officers Association of America, the National Military Family Association, and the Military Housing Coalition.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, and one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress.
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