First bill by Rep. Stephanie Bice addresses military housing upgrades for disabled residents
Rep. Stephanie Bice introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday to ensure residents of military housing don’t have to pay for upgrades necessary to accommodate disabilities.
Bice, R-Oklahoma City, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said, “Military families endure enough stress and financial strain without having to bear the burden for required upgrades to housing provided by the military for a disabled family member.”
The freshman lawmaker’s first bill was coauthored with Rep. Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat who also serves on the Armed Services Committee.
Military housing complaints
The Military Housing Advocacy Network issued a report last year raising numerous concerns about the availability of housing compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the responses of private contractors to requests for modifications.
“The Military Housing Advocacy Network has seen first-hand the physical, mental, and financial hardships that military families with disabilities have struggled with when attempting to get a reasonable accommodation/modification in their privatized military housing home,” Noelle Pacl, an advocate for the network, said in a news release.
“The Protecting Military Families with Disabilities Act will ensure that military families with disabilities will be able to live safely and independently in their home and protect their rights that they are entitled to.”
Former Rep. Kendra Horn, an Oklahoma City Democrat defeated by Bice in November, also focused on military housing problems as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, after media reports documented shoddy workmanship and even unsafe conditions in units constructed and managed by private contractors.
Veterans groups, including the Oklahoma Air Force Association and the Oklahoma Veterans Council, expressed support for Bice’s bill.
+ to read the full article, click here.Source: By Chris Casteel | The Oklahoman