Legislation

Title 10 United States Code (USC) §1056, "Relocation Assistance Programs," 3 January 2007 This legislation requires the Secretary of Defense to establish Relocation Assistance programs within the Service branches, with the exemption of the Coast Guard.  It requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a position of Director of Relocation Assistance Programs and to issue regulations to govern and guide the implementation of Relocation Assistance programs within the Family Support functions of each Service. The law requires implementation of an integrated, automated information system to provide data on military communities worldwide.  Program services are also required to address relocation-related issues such as housing and real estate assistance, spouse employment, child care, and finances.

Title 10 USC § 2871-2885, "Alternative Authorities for Acquisition and Improvement of Military Housing," 3 January 2007  This legislation requires DoD and the Services to conduct the Military Housing Privatization Initiative.  It specifies relationships between DoD, the Services, and the private entities that participate in the Initiative.  The first legislation on housing privatization was passed in The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996, Public Law 104-106, 110 St, 186 Section 2801.  It included a series of powerful authorities that allowed DoD to work with the private sector to build and renovate military housing.  The authority allowed DoD to obtain private capital to leverage government dollars, make efficient use of limited resources, and use a variety of private sector approaches to build and renovate military housing faster and at a lower cost to American taxpayers than would have been accomplished by other methods.  This Public Law is codified and its authorities were updated and made permanent in 2007.