The leaders of the House’s special panel on military quality of life will appear together at ADC’s Defense Communities National Summit in April.
Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) have spent almost a year holding hearings and meetings to identify ways Congress can improve quality of life for service members and military families.
“The work of this panel has revealed an alarming erosion of military quality of life that, if not addressed quickly, will place the very existence of our all-volunteer force at risk,” Bacon said in opening remarks at a recent hearing. “I believe that reversing this decline will require a national commitment to change course while there is still time.”
Houlahan noted in her remarks at the hearing that Congress provided a 5.2% pay raise for service members last year but said “we should be asking ourselves if the benefits offered are the most effective to recruit and retain a new generation, one that has different perspectives and priorities about the kind of work and career they seek.”
The panel is expected to release recommendations in the coming weeks on pay, child care, housing, spouse support programs and health care. Bacon and Houlahan will discuss the policy suggestions at the Defense Communities National Summit.
The Defense Communities National Summit is taking place April 8-10 in the D.C. area. ADC has extended early bird registration rates through Monday.
ADC photo of Bacon at the 2023 Summit by Will Noonan
