Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland press release.
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, secured provisions to address housing and equity in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“The South Sound is home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one of the premier military installations in the U.S. For national security and readiness, service members should have the option to live near their bases, which is why I fought hard to improve access to housing in this year’s defense bill,” said Strickland. “I also secured provisions to improve diversity in leadership, invest in emerging technologies, address Tribal sovereignty, and allow us to continue confronting challenges both at home and abroad.”
Strickland Standing up for Servicemembers and Their Families:
- The BAH Calculation Improvement Act: Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to examine the current Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates’ efficiency and efficacy, determine if BAH should be calculated more often if school districts can be included in BAH calculations, and more to create a responsive, and transparent way to calculate BAH.
- BAH Restoration Act: In response to Strickland’s BAH Restoration Act, the FY23 NDAA directs the DoD to consider reversing the housing allowance reduction and restoring servicemembers to 100 percent of the calculated Basic Allowance for Housing and to submit a report on a timeline to reverse the Department’s policy decision, cost and additional increase by grade and dependency status.
- Homeownership: Strickland’s Increasing Homeownership for Servicemembers Act was also included and would direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study of the barriers to ownership for members of the Armed Forces so that the opportunity to own a home and build family wealth is within reach for service members.
- Housing Availability: Creates a follow-on report from last year’s “Wait Times for On-Base Housing” on housing availability by directing the DoD to report to Congress on options for increasing housing availability, recommendations for the need for a housing manager, and recommendations for improving and increasing housing affordability for servicemembers and dependents.
A comprehensive list of Strickland’s secured provisions in the FY23 NDAA including childcare, education, and supporting the South Sound can be found here.
