EXPANSION OF PAYMENT OF REPLACEMENT VALUE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGED DURING TRANSPORT AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE.

SEC. 363. EXPANSION OF PAYMENT OF REPLACEMENT VALUE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGED DURING TRANSPORT AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE.(a) Coverage of Property of Civilian Employees of Department of Defense.—Subsection (a) of section 2636a of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking “of baggage and household effects for members of the armed forces at Government expense” and inserting “at Government expense of baggage and household effects for members of the armed forces or civilian employees of the Department of Defense (or both)”.(b) Requirement for Payment and Deduction Upon Failure of Carrier to Settle.—Effective March 1, 2008, such section is further amended—(1) in subsection (a), by striking “may include” and inserting “shall include”; and(2) in subsection (b), by striking “may be deducted” and inserting “shall be deducted”.(c) Certification on Families First Program.—The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report containing the certifications of the Secretary with respect to the program of the Department of Defense known as “Families First” on the following matters:(1) Whether there is an alternative to the system under the program that would provide equal or greater capability at a lower cost.(2) Whether the estimates on costs, and the anticipated schedule and performance parameters, for the program and system are reasonable.(3) Whether the management structure for the program is adequate to manage and control program costs.(d) Comptroller General Reports on Families First Program.—(1) Review and assessment required.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review and assessment of the progress of the Department of Defense in implementing the program of the Department of Defense known as “Families First”.120 STAT. 2168(2) Elements of review and assessment.—In conducting the review and assessment required by paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall—(A) assess the progress of the Department in achieving the goals of the Families First program, including progress in the development and deployment of the Defense Personal Property System;(B) assess the organization, staffing, resources, and capabilities of the Defense Personal Property System Project Management Office established on April 7, 2006;(C) evaluate the growth in cost of the program since the previous assessment of the program by the Comptroller General, and estimate the current annual cost of the Defense Personal Property System and each component of that system; and(D) assess the feasibility of implementing processes and procedures, pending the satisfactory development of the Defense Personal Property System, which would achieve the goals of the program of providing improved personal property management services to members of the Armed Forces.(3) Reports.—The Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives reports as follows:(A) An interim report on the review and assessment required by paragraph (1) by not later than December 1, 2006.(B) A final report on such review and assessment by not later than June 1, 2007.