,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bacg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #f1   
#bjae ,mr4 ,blunt 7for himself1 ,mrs4   
,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,burr1 and ,ms4       
,hirono7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,armed ,services  ,a     
,,bill  ,to amend title #aj1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to provide a period for  
the relocation of spouses and dependents
 of certain members of the ,armed       
,forces undergoing a permanent change of
 station in order to ease and facilitate
 the relocation of military families4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,military ,family ,stability    
,act of #bjae4  #b4 ,period for         
relocation of spouses and dependents of 
certain members of the ,armed ,forces   
undergoing a permanent change of station
  7a7 ,period of relocation  7#a7 ,in   
general ,subchapter ,i of chapter #hh of
 title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is   
amended by inserting after section      

#aghd;a the following new section3      
#aghd;b4 ,relocation of spouses and     
dependents in connection with the       
permanent change of station of certain  
members  7a7 ,election of timing of     
relocation of spouses in connection with
 ,,pcs  7#a7 ,in general ,subject to    
paragraph 7#b71 a member of the armed   
forces undergoing a permanent change of 
station and the member's spouse may     
jointly elect that the spouse may       
relocate to the location to which the   
member will relocate in connection with 
the permanent change of station at such 
time during the covered relocation      
period as the member and spouse jointly 
select4  7#b7 ,members and spouses      
eligible to make elections ,a member and
 spouse may make an election pursuant to
 paragraph 7#a7 as follows3 7,a7 ,if the
 spouse either--  7i7 is gainfully      
employed at the beginning of the covered
 relocation period concerned2 or  7ii7  
is enrolled in a degree1 certificate1 or
 license granting program at the        

beginning of the covered relocation     
period4  7,b7 ,if the member and spouse 
have one or more dependents at the      
beginning of the covered relocation     
period concerned1 either--  7i7 at least
 one dependent is a child in elementary 
or secondary school at the beginning of 
the covered relocation period2  7ii7 the
 spouse or at least one such dependent  
are covered by the ,exceptional ,family 
,member ,program at the beginning of the
 covered relocation period2 or  7iii7   
the member and spouse are caring at the 
beginning of the covered relocation     
period for an immediate family member   
with a chronic or long-term illness1 as 
determined pursuant to the regulations  
applicable to the members' armed force  
pursuant to subsection 7g74  7,c7 ,if   
the member is undergoing a permanent    
change of station as an individual      
augmentee or other deployment           
arrangement specified in the regulations
 applicable to the member's armed force 
pursuant to subsection 7g74  7,d7 ,if   

the member1 spouse1 or both1 meet such  
other qualification or qualifications as
 are specified in the regulations       
applicable to the member's armed force  
pursuant to subsection 7g74  7,e7 ,in   
the case of a member and spouse who do  
not otherwise meet any qualification in 
subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,d71 if the 
commander of the member at the beginning
 of the covered relocation period       
determines that eligibility to make the 
election is in the interests of the     
member and spouse for family stability  
during the covered relocation period and
 in the interests of the armed force    
concerned4 ,any such determination shall
 be made on a case-by-case basis4  7b7  
,election of timing of relocation of    
certain dependents of unmarried members 
in connection with ,,pcs  7#a7 ,in      
general ,a member of the armed forces   
undergoing a permanent change of station
 who has one or more dependents         
described in paragraph 7#b7 and is no   
longer married to the individual who is 

or was the parent 7including parent by  
adoption7 of such dependents at the     
beginning of the covered period of      
relocation may elect that such          
dependents may relocate to the location 
to which the member will relocate in    
connection with the permanent change of 
station at such time during the covered 
relocation period as elected as follows3
  7,a7 ,by the member alone if such     
individual is dead or has no custodial  
rights in such dependents at the        
beginning of such period4  7,b7 ,by the 
member and such individual jointly in   
all other circumstances4  7#b7          
,dependents ,the dependents described in
 this paragraph are as follows3  7,a7   
,dependents over the age of #ai years   
for whom the member has power of        
attorney regarding residence4  7,b7     
,dependents under the age of #bj years  
who will reside with a caregiver        
according to the ,family ,care ,plan of 
the member during the covered period of 
relocation until relocated pursuant to  

an election under this subsection4  7c7 
,housing  7#a7 ,if the spouse of a      
member relocates before the member in   
accordance with an election pursuant to 
subsection 7a71 the member shall be     
assigned to quarters or other housing   
facilities of the ,united ,states as a  
bachelor1 if such quarters are          
available1 until the date of the        
member's permanent change of station4   
7#b7 ,if a spouse and any dependents of 
a member covered by an election under   
this section reside in housing of the   
,united ,states at the beginning of the 
covered period of relocation1 the spouse
 and dependents may continue to reside  
in such housing throughout the covered  
period of relocation1 regardless of the 
date of the member's permanent change of
 station4  7#c7 ,if a spouse and any    
dependents of a member covered by an    
election under this section are eligible
 to reside in housing of the ,united    
,states following the member's permanent
 change of station1 the spouse and      

dependents may commence residing in such
 housing at any time during the covered 
relocation period1 regardless of the    
date of the member's permanent change of
 station4  7d7 ,basic allowance for     
housing2 stipend  7#a7 7,a7 ,in the case
 of a member undergoing a permanent     
change of station who is paid basic     
allowance for housing at the with       
dependents' rate at the beginning of the
 covered relocation period1 the member  
shall be paid basic allowance for       
housing at the with dependents' rate for
 months beginning during the covered    
relocation period regardless of the date
 on which the member's spouse and any   
dependents relocate pursuant to an      
election under this section or the      
assignment of the member to quarters or 
facilities on a bachelor basis pursuant 
to subsection 7c77#a74  7,b7 ,in        
determining the portion of basic        
allowance for housing payable to a      
member under this paragraph that is     
payable with respect to the member's    

dependents1 the geographic location of  
the dependents shall govern rather than 
the geographic location of the member4  
7#b7 ,if quarters are not available for 
the assignment of a member as described 
in subsection 7c77#a71 the member shall 
be paid an amount 7determined in        
accordance with the regulations         
applicable to the member's armed force  
pursuant to subsection 7g77 appropriate 
to compensate the member for cost of the
 housing in which the member resides in 
lieu of such quarters until the date on 
which the member and the member's spouse
 reside in the same geographic area     
after the member's permanent change of  
station4 ,any amount payable to a member
 pursuant to this paragraph is in       
addition to amounts payable to the      
member under paragraph 7#a74  7e7       
,transportation of personal property    
7#a7 ,any transportation allowances     
authorized for the transportation of the
 personal property of a member and      
spouse making an election under         

subsection 7a7 may be allocated among   
the personal property of the member and 
spouse in such manner as the member and 
spouse shall select4  7#b7 ,in this     
subsection1 the terms transportation    
allowances and personal property have   
the meaning given such terms in section 
#dea7;b7 of title #cg4  7f7 ,approval   
7#a7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall  
establish a single approval process for 
applications for coverage under this    
section4 ,the process shall apply       
uniformly among the armed forces4  7#b7 
,applications for approval for coverage 
under this section shall consist of such
 elements 7including documentary        
evidence7 as the ,secretary shall       
prescribe for purposes of the approval  
process required by this subsection4    
7#c7 ,the approval process required by  
this subsection shall ensure that the   
processing of applications for coverage 
under this section is completed in a    
timely manner that permits a spouse and 
any dependents to relocate whenever     

during the covered relocation period    
selected in the election concerned4 ,in 
meeting that requirement1 the approval  
process shall provide for the processing
 of applications at the lowest level in 
the chain of command of members as it   
appropriate to ensure proper            
administration of this section4  7g7    
,regulations ,each ,secretary concerned 
shall prescribe regulations for the     
administration of this section with     
respect to the armed force or forces    
under the jurisdiction of such          
,secretary4  7h7 ,covered relocation    
period defined ,in this section1 the    
term covered relocation period1 in      
connection with the permanent change of 
station of a member1 means the period   
that-- 7#a7 begins #ahj days before the 
date of the permanent change of station2
 and  7#b7 ends #ahj days after the date
 of the permanent change of station4  4 
7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of  
sections at the beginning of subchapter 
,i of chapter #hh of such title is      

amended by inserting after the item     
relating to section #aghd;a the         
following new item3  #aghd;b4           
,relocation of spouses and dependents in
 connection with the permanent change of
 station of certain members4  4  7#c7   
,effective date ,the amendments made by 
this subsection shall take effect on the
 date of the enactment of this ,act and 
shall apply with respect to permanent   
changes of station of members of the    
,armed ,forces that occur on or after   
the date that is #ahj days after such   
effective date4  7b7 ,comptroller       
,general of the ,united ,states report  
7#a7 ,report required ,not later than   
one year after the date of the enactment
 of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general
 of the ,united ,states shall submit to 
,congress a report on potential actions 
of the ,department of ,defense to       
enhance the stability of military       
families undergoing a permanent change  
of station4  7#b7 ,elements ,the report 
required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include

 the following3 7,a7 ,a comparison of   
the current percentage of spouses in    
military families who work with the     
percentage of spouses in military       
families who worked in the recent past1 
and an assessment of the impact of the  
change in such percentage on military   
families4  7,b7 ,an assessment of the   
effects of relocation of military       
families undergoing a permanent change  
of station on the employment1 education1
 and licensure of spouses of military   
families4  7,c7 ,an assessment of the   
effects of relocation of military       
families undergoing a permanent change  
of station on military children1        
including effect on their mental health4
  7,d7 ,an identification of potential  
actions of the ,department to enhance   
the stability of military families      
undergoing a permanent change of station
 and to generate cost savings in        
connection with such changes of station4
  7,e7 ,such other matters as the       
,comptroller ,general considers         

appropriate4