MILITARY RELOCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

SEC. 661. MILITARY RELOCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (a) Requirement to Provide Assistance.—Not later than October 1, 1990, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a program to provide relocation assistance to members of the Armed Forces and their families as provided in this section. In addition, the Secretary of Defense shall make every effort, consistent with readiness objectives, to stabilize and lengthen tours of duty to minimize the adverse effects of relocation. (b) Types of Assistance.—(1) The Secretary of each military department, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, shall provide relocation assistance, through military relocation assistance programs described in subsection (c), to members of the Armed Forces who are ordered to make a change of permanent station which includes a move to a new location (and for dependents of such members who are authorized to move in connection with the change of permanent station). (c) The relocation assistance provided shall include the following: (A) Provision of destination area information and preparation (to be provided before the change of permanent station takes effect), with emphasis on information with regard to moving costs, housing costs and availability, child care, spouse employment opportunities, cultural adaptation, and community orientation. (B) Provision of counseling about financial management, home buying and selling, renting, stress management aimed at intervention and prevention of abuse, property management, and shipment and storage of household goods (including motor vehicles and pets), (C) Provision of settling-in services, with emphasis on available government living quarters, private housing, child care, spouse employment assistance information, cultural adaptation, and community orientation. (D) Provision of home finding services, with emphasis on services for locating adequate, affordable temporary and permanent housing. (c) Military Relocation Assistance Programs.—(1) The Secretary shall provide for the establishment of military relocation 103 STAT. 1464assistance programs to provide the relocation assistance described in subsection (b). The Secretary shall establish such a program in each geographic area in which at least 500 members of the Armed Forces are assigned to or serving at a military installation. A member who is not stationed within a geographic area that contains such a program shall be given access to such a program. The Secretary shall ensure that persons on the staff of each program are trained in the techniques and delivery of professional relocation assistance. (2) The Secretary shall ensure that, not later than September 30, 1991, information available through each military relocation assistance program shall be managed through a computerized information system that can interact with all other military relocation assistance programs of the military departments, including programs located outside the continental United States. (3) Duties of each military relocation assistance program shall include assisting personnel offices on the military installation in using the computerized information available through the program to help provide members of the Armed Forces who are deciding whether to reenlist information on locations of possible future duty assignments. (d) Director.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish the position of Director of Military Relocation Assistance Programs in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management and Personnel). The Director shall oversee development and implementation of the military relocation assistance programs under this section. (e) Regulations.—This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. (f) Annual Report.—Not later than March 1 each year, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Director of Military Relocation Assistance Programs, shall submit to Congress a report on the program under this section and on military family relocation matters. The report shall include the following: (1) An assessment of available, affordable private-sector housing for members of the Armed Forces and their families. (2) An assessment of the actual nonreimbursed costs incurred by members of the Armed Forces and their families who are ordered to make a change of permanent station. (3) Information (shown by military installation) on the types of locations at which members of the Armed Forces assigned to duty at military installations live, including the number of members of the Armed Forces who live on a military installation and the number who do not live on a military installation. (4) Information on the effects of the relocation assistance programs established under this section on the quality of life of members of the Armed Forces and their families and on retention and productivity of members of the Armed Forces. (g) Inapplicability to Coast Guard.—This section does not apply to the Coast Guard. (h) Deadline foe Regulations.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to implement this section not later than July 1, 1990. (i) Report on Plan for Implementation—Not later than March 1, 1990, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Commit-tees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on a plan for the full implementation of the programs 103 STAT. 1465provided for in this section. The report shall include an estimate of the cost of implementing that plan.