Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Friday to protect military families in living in unsafe privatized housing, Reuters reported.
The proposal is aimed at dealing with ongoing military privatized housing problems and would mandate regular and announced spot inspections of base homes by certified and independent inspectors. Recent reports by Reuters and Congressional hearings detailed issues ranging from lead exposure, infestations, and mold and maintenance issues in privatized housing that serves hundreds of thousands of military families.
The bill would also require landlords to quickly repair problems, and require DOD and private housing operators to publish annual reports covering housing conditions, tenant complaints, maintenance response times and the financial incentives housing firms receive at each base.
Military privatized housing has been largely confidential since the late 1990s and the new protections are intended to provide more transparency to the program.
Warren is running for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election.
Army photo by Sgt. James McCann
Snap of the Week
Naval Academy plebes climb the Herndon Monument, a tradition symbolizing the successful completion of the midshipmen’s freshman year. The class of 2027 completed the climb in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 11 seconds. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey
