Letter to the Hon. James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the Hon. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the Hon. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and the Hon. Mac Thornberry, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee - Castro Statement on Unethical Scheme at Lackland Air Force Base, Urges Improvements for Military Housing

Letter

Dear Chairmen Inhofe and Smith and Ranking Members Reed and Thornberry:

We can all agree that our servicemen and women and their families deserve safe and quality housing that is sufficient for their needs and managed by responsible agents. Unfortunately, we continue to hear about the widespread health, safety and environmental hazards found in privatized military housing. In my own district employees of private companies have admitted to forging records to ensure their employers make millions of dollars while failing to provide for the most basic maintenance requirements. This is abhorrent.

I continue to harbor concerns that the Department of Defense, the military services, installation commanders, and housing officials have not provided sufficient oversight to ensure this housing crisis will be remedied. Therefore, it is imperative that the language reforming the Military Housing Privatization Initiative in the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act be retained and implemented. This language will force the necessary changes in the MHPI program.

As you enter conference negotiations, I ask that at a minimum the following provisions remain in the final agreement:

-Require the military services to establish a tenants' bill of rights for residents of privatized military family housing.
-Require the Secretary of Defense to develop an assessment tool to identify and measure health and safety hazards in housing.
-Prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements in connection with entering into, continuing, or terminating a lease for on-base military housing.
-Authorize an additional $140.8 million to hire additional civilian personnel to improve oversight and management of military family housing.
-Create a public database for complaints related to military housing, require annual financial audits of randomly selected privatized military family housing, and annual congressional reports on the condition, maintenance, and management of privatized military family housing.

The privatized military housing system requires urgent action. These committees' leadership is necessary to ensure a fundamental right to all of those who serve on our behalf - The right to be secure and safe in the sanctity of one's own home.

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