On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act by 377-48, creating 12 paid weeks of parental leave for government workers, authorizing the Space Force, and directing the creation of a “tenants’ bill of rights” for military housing.

“To be clear, this isn’t a perfect bill, but it is the most progressive NDAA Congress has seen in a generation and advances many of Colorado’s key priorities,” said U.S. Rep. Jason Crow in a statement.

The NDAA is an annual act of Congress that sets military policy and authorizes Pentagon spending levels.

Of Colorado’s congressional delegation, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse, both Democrats, and Ken Buck, a Republican, voted no.

After Reuters uncovered that military families endured privately-operated housing on military bases with mold, lead and infestations, but had limited options under the military’s contracts with landlords, the service branches earlier this year proposed a “bill of rights.”

The Army surveyed over 25,000 residents of private and government-administered military housing. While the executive summary released publicly did not mention specific household hazards, all measures of housing satisfaction — including appearance and quality of maintenance — decreased from 2018.

Fort Carson in Colorado Springs had the third-lowest satisfaction scores.

Among its provisions, the NDAA requires landlords to provide tenants with seven years of maintenance history on the unit under consideration, prohibits the unessential identification of tenants who submit maintenance requests, and allows the military to withhold some fees if landlords fail to fix hazards.

The bill also establishes a formal dispute resolution process between tenants and landlords, with the ability of the military to progressively cut payments to landlords who leave maintenance issues unaddressed.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, whose district includes several military installations, spoke favorably of the new protections after the vote.

“The last thing they deserve is having their homes serve as a point of stress and discomfort rather than a sanctuary where they may relax and nurture a family,” he said. He noted that the tenants’ bill of rights requires “new quality control measures for repairs and mold remediation.”

The Senate has yet to vote on the measure.

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan steps down as Commander of U.S. Army North and is handing over the command to Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson during the Change of Command at Fort Sam Houston, Monday, July 8, 2019. (Bob Owen/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Bob Owen