Sponsors (3)
The bill aims to enable more and cheaper on-base housing through a new building design and site feasibility work—potentially benefiting service members and local renters—while trading off upfront code-change costs, possible negative effects on local rental markets, and risks to occupant safety if the design proves less protective.
Service members and their families could gain access to more and potentially more-affordable on-base housing if the point-access block design lowers construction costs and enables more units.
Local renters and communities near installations may face reduced demand pressure and easing rents if more service members occupy expanded government housing.
Assessing fire-safety and life-safety outcomes for the new design could lead to building-code updates or mitigations that maintain or improve occupant safety in new military housing.
If the point-access block design proves less safe in practice, occupants (service members and their families) could face increased fire or life-safety risks unless adequate mitigations are required and implemented.
Updating DoD building codes, performing retrofits, training staff, and revising oversight to accommodate new designs could create near-term costs for taxpayers and local governments.
Increasing on-base housing supply could soften local rental demand, potentially harming landlords, homeowners relying on rental income, and reducing local tax revenue.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires a GAO study (with NIST, DoD, HUD) on allowing point-access block design in DoD building code for certain military housing and a report with recommendations within two years.
Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO), working with NIST, the Department of Defense, and HUD, to study whether revising the DoD Unified Facilities Criteria to allow point-access block building for certain military housing projects is feasible and cost-beneficial. The study must quantify effects on housing quality, affordability, local rental markets, Basic Allowance for Subsistence spending, construction and design costs, site feasibility, and life- and fire-safety outcomes. Requires coordination on the study within 18 months and a written report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees with recommended actions the Secretary of Defense could take to update the building code and other recommendations within two years of enactment.
Official title: To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the use of point-access block design for military construction projects, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 30, 2026 by Scott Peters · Last progress June 30, 2026