H.R. 7188

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7188 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7188

To improve housing and environmental health and safety protections for 
members of the Armed Forces and their families residing in military 
family housing, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 21, 2026

Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Moylan, and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To improve housing and environmental health and safety protections for 
members of the Armed Forces and their families residing in military 
family housing, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Military Occupancy Living Defense 
Act'' or the ``MOLD Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Secretary of Defense should establish and implement 
a uniform code of basic housing standards for safety, comfort, 
and habitability for privatized military housing, which meets 
or exceeds requirements informed by a nationally recognized, 
consensus-based, model property maintenance code.
(2) Thousands of military families living in privatized 
military housing have been exposed to hazardous environmental 
conditions, including widespread mold contamination, due to 
negligent maintenance practices and inadequate government 
oversight.
(3) Military families frequently shoulder the financial 
burden of environmental hazards, often paying out-of-pocket for 
temporary relocation, the loss of personal property, medical 
expenses, and long-term health evaluations and treatments.
(4) Unsafe housing conditions undermine military readiness 
by forcing members of the Armed Forces to divert time and 
attention from their duties to manage health and housing 
emergencies, jeopardizing mission performance, morale, and unit 
cohesion.
(5) The lack of consistent, independent audits, 
inspections, and performance assessments of privatized military 
housing has enabled poor contractor accountability, resulting 
in ongoing maintenance failures and tenant harm.
(6) The use of non-disclosure agreements by providers of 
privatized military housing to silence tenants reporting unsafe 
conditions obstructs transparency, suppresses awareness of 
systemic failures, and impedes efforts to hold contractors 
accountable.
(7) Available data from medical reports, tenant surveys, 
and documentation by the Department of Defense strongly suggest 
that prolonged exposure to mold in privatized military housing 
is linked to higher rates of respiratory illness, neurological 
symptoms, and developmental issues in children, underscoring 
the urgent need for comprehensive environmental health 
protections.
(8) As of the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
TRICARE program (as defined in section 1072 of title 10, United 
States Code) does not cover mold-related medical expenses, 
including diagnostic testing for mycotoxin exposure or long-
term treatment for illnesses caused or exacerbated by mold, 
leaving military families without adequate support for housing-
related health conditions.
(9) Approximately 700,000 members of the Armed Forces and 
their families reside in privatized military housing operated 
by 14 companies across 78 developments in the United States.
(10) Several providers of privatized military housing have 
been implicated in fraud schemes in recent years, including one 
company that pled guilty in 2021 to defrauding the Department 
of Defense by falsifying maintenance records, and another that 
reached a $500,000 Federal settlement in 2022, without 
admitting guilt, for similar misconduct.

SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MINIMUM HEALTH AND SAFETY 
STANDARDS FOR MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING.

(a) Standards.--
(1) Initial guidance.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall issue interim guidance for acceptable 
levels of relative humidity, ventilation, dampness, and 
water intrusion to be applied at all covered housing.
(B) Effect.--Interim guidance issued under 
subparagraph (A) shall remain in effect until final 
standards are published under paragraph (2).
(2) Final standards.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall issue final standards for acceptable levels of relative 
humidity, ventilation, dampness, and water intrusion to be 
applied at all covered housing, which shall include--
(A) acceptable levels of relative humidity indoors;
(B) required ventilation and moisture control 
measures;
(C) environmental inspection and testing methods; 
and
(D) the standard of care for mold remediation 
adopted under subsection (g).
(3) Reporting and availability of testing.--The final 
standards established under paragraph (2) shall require results 
of environmental inspection and testing methods under 
subparagraph (C) of such paragraph to be reported to the 
Secretary of Defense and made available to tenants of affected 
housing units not later than 10 days after sample collection.
(b) Certification of Compliance.--Not less frequently than 
annually, each housing office of the Department shall certify to 
Congress that the housing office is in compliance with health and 
safety standards for covered housing required under this section.
(c) Establishment of Independent Inspection Protocol for Privatized 
Military Housing.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
ensure that each installation of the Department of Defense 
conducts, using independent certified third-party inspectors, 
mold and environmental health inspections for all covered 
housing that is privatized military housing--
(A) upon every tenant turnover of a housing unit;
(B) upon receipt of any tenant complaint regarding 
safety and habitability of a housing unit; and
(C) following any remediation effort, structural 
repair, or response to an identified environmental 
hazard at a housing unit.
(2) Elements of inspections.--Inspections conducted under 
paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum--
(A) evaluation of heating, ventilation, and air 
conditioning (HVAC) systems, plumbing, electrical 
systems, and structural integrity;
(B) inspection for signs of water intrusion, 
dampness, humidity, visible or non-visible mold, 
microbial growth, and other indoor air quality 
concerns;
(C) review of current and past work order records 
and completion timelines; and
(D) review of contractor compliance with privatized 
military housing contract requirements and housing 
regulations of the Department of Defense.
(3) Recording and maintenance of records.--All findings of 
inspections conducted under paragraph (1) shall be--
(A) recorded in a standardized Federal Government 
inspection record;
(B) certified by the inspector with a clear 
``pass'' or ``fail'' status;
(C) maintained in an accessible, historical housing 
record for each housing unit; and
(D) made available to the relevant installation 
commander and military housing office.
(4) Documentation and submission of results.--The commander 
of each installation of the Department shall--
(A) document results of inspections conducted under 
paragraph (1); and
(B) submit the results of such inspections to--
(i) the Secretary;
(ii) the Office of Inspector General of the 
Department of Defense; and
(iii) the Committees on Armed Services of 
the Senate and the House of Representatives.
(5) Access and transparency.--Inspection reports certified 
under paragraph (3)(B) and housing history records required 
under paragraph (3)(C) shall be--
(A) provided in full to current tenants of the 
inspected unit;
(B) made available upon request to any incoming 
tenants; and
(C) maintained in a secure portal accessible to 
staff of the relevant military housing office, the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives, and military family advocacy 
personnel.
(6) Remediation or tenant relocation.--In the case of a 
housing unit failing inspection conducted under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall ensure that the unit is remediated or the 
tenants of such unit are relocated not later than 30 days after 
such failed inspection, if such tenants wish to be relocated.
(d) Complaint and Response Mechanism.--
(1) Hotline and website.--The Secretary shall modify the 
Defense Housing Feedback System, or successor system, to ensure 
that such system contains a tenant complaint hotline and 
website that is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week 
for reporting humidity, water damage, or other hazards in 
covered housing.
(2) Website information.--The website required under 
paragraph (1) shall contain information on the complaints made 
under paragraph (1), disaggregated by installation and with any 
personally identifying information redacted.
(3) Response.--Each housing office for an installation of 
the Department shall--
(A) respond to complaints of tenants of covered 
housing not later than five business days after the 
complaint;
(B) track progress of such response until 
resolution; and
(C) provide to tenants written confirmation of 
inspection findings and actions taken.
(e) Requirements for Privatized Military Housing.--
(1) Health and safety standards for military housing.--The 
Secretary of each military department shall ensure that all 
housing project agreements and renewals for privatized military 
housing under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned 
entered into on or after the date of the enactment of this Act 
are compliant with the appropriate environmental health and 
safety standards established by the Department of Defense.
(2) Future contract agreements and renewals.--For all 
housing project agreements and renewals for privatized military 
housing entered into on or after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and to the extent practicable for agreements in place 
as of such date of enactment, not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall incorporate enforceable provisions related to 
environmental hazard response, inspection, and tenant 
relocation protections which shall include--
(A) enforceable environmental health and safety 
clauses; and
(B) requirements that providers of privatized 
military housing bear full financial responsibility 
for--
(i) required third-party inspections;
(ii) maintenance;
(iii) mold remediation;
(iv) all relocation expenses for military 
families forced to vacate uninhabitable units;
(v) property loss; and
(vi) refunding any amounts paid through a 
basic allowance for housing under section 403 
of title 37, United States Code, for military 
families forced to vacate uninhabitable units.
(f) Certification Requirements for Mold Assessment and 
Remediation.--The Secretary shall ensure that all maintenance 
personnel, contracted mold assessors, indoor environmental 
professionals, and mold remediators responsible for assessing or 
remediating mold and water damage in covered housing shall possess and 
maintain current certifications issued by a nationally recognized, 
third-party, nonprofit certifying body, which may include the 
following:
(1) The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration 
Certification.
(2) The National Organization of Remediators and Microbial 
Inspectors.
(3) The American Council for Accredited Certification.
(g) Standard of Care for Mold Remediation.--All mold remediation 
activities conducted in covered housing shall comply with the American 
National Standards Institute and Institute of Inspection Cleaning and 
Restoration Certification S520 Standard for Professional Mold 
Remediation, Fourth Edition, or any subsequent edition published by the 
Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification or 
successor organization.
(h) Issuance of Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(1) issue guidance with respect to the implementation of 
this section; and
(2) provide written notification to all providers of 
privatized military housing regarding the requirements of this 
section.
(i) Quarterly Reporting Requirement.--
(1) Designation of chief housing officer.--The Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment 
shall serve as Chief Housing Officer and shall receive, review, 
and compile reports from military housing offices across all 
installations of the Department of Defense.
(2) Military housing office reporting.--Not less frequently 
than quarterly, each chief of a military housing office shall 
submit to the Chief Housing Officer designated under paragraph 
(1) a report that includes, at a minimum--
(A) the number and type of tenant complaints 
received;
(B) an assessment of work order volume and average 
completion time;
(C) an identification of instances of unresolved or 
recurring maintenance issues;
(D) an identification of environmental hazard 
notifications and the status of the remediation of such 
hazards;
(E) a summary of compliance by contractors with 
requirements of the Department and any violations of 
those requirements;
(F) any reports of retaliation, discrimination, 
displacement, or housing-related medical concerns (with 
personal information redacted if requested); and
(G) a summary of command-level awareness or action 
on housing issues.
(3) Compilation and congressional submission.--
(A) In general.--The Chief Housing Officer shall--
(i) compile the reports received under 
paragraph (2);
(ii) submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives such compiled reports not less 
frequently than quarterly and not less 
frequently than annually for the quarter or 
year covered by the report, as the case may be; 
and
(iii) provide to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives briefings regarding each report 
submitted under clause (ii).
(B) Briefings.--Briefings required under 
subparagraph (A)(iii) shall include trend analysis, 
contractor performance insights, and risk flags based 
on installation-level conditions.
(4) Data transparency and retention.--
(A) Format.--The Secretary shall ensure that all 
reporting required under this subsection follows a 
standardized Federal format.
(B) Retention of information.--The Secretary shall 
ensure that all raw data, logs, and supporting 
documentation for reports required under this 
subsection are retained for a period of not less than 
five years.
(C) Availability of data sets.--The Secretary may 
make available to tenant ombudsmen or Federal housing 
liaison offices data sets used to prepare reports under 
this subsection with personally identifiable 
information redacted.
(5) Enforcement.--In the case of a landlord (as defined in 
section 2871 of title 10, United States Code) or other private 
sector entity that fails to comply with any requirement 
established to comply with this subsection, the Secretary may--
(A) notify command leadership of the relevant 
installation of the Department;
(B) conduct an audit or performance review; and
(C) in the case of systemic failure to comply with 
any such requirement, suspend eligibility of such 
landlord or entity for housing-related bonuses.
(j) Public Reporting Requirements.--Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives and publish on a publicly 
available website of the Department of Defense, with respect to covered 
housing--
(1) the number of mold complaints received, disaggregated 
by installation of the Department;
(2) the results of inspections under this section and 
compliance rates;
(3) remediation timelines and costs; and
(4) the number of relocations made.
(k) Sense of Congress on Health Risks Associated With Mold.--It is 
the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration 
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, should evaluate the 
health impacts of mold exposure in military housing and consider 
appropriate medical responses and coverage under existing health care 
systems.
(l) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Acceptable levels of relative humidity.--The term 
``acceptable levels of relative humidity'', with respect to an 
area, means an area with humidity levels that are less than 50 
percent.
(2) Covered housing.--The term ``covered housing'' means 
any military family housing owned, leased, or managed by the 
Department of Defense, including privatized military housing.
(3) Environmental inspection and testing methods.--The term 
``environmental inspection and testing methods'' means detailed 
visual inspection substantiated by mold testing measures that 
include air sampling, tape lifts, swabs, and carpet samples, 
and official laboratory analysis of such samples.
(4) Mold.--The term ``mold'' means any form of multi-
cellular fungi found in water-damaged indoor environments and 
building materials, including, cladosporium, penicillium, 
alternaria, aspergillus, fusarium, chaetomium, trichoderma, 
memnoniella, mucor, stachybotrys chartarum, streptomyces, and 
epicoccumoften.
(5) Privatized military housing.--The term ``privatized 
military housing'' means military housing under subchapter IV 
of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code.
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