119-hr3120

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3120 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3120

 To improve the review and effectiveness of the cost of living 
 adjustments to pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and 
 civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty 
 station is located in the 19th Congressional District of California, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 30, 2025

 Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently 
 determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To improve the review and effectiveness of the cost of living 
 adjustments to pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and 
 civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty 
 station is located in the 19th Congressional District of California, 
 and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPORT ON COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--

    (1) United States military personnel and Department of 
 Defense civilians should be financially supported as they face 
 frequent relocation over the course of their service, including 
 in high-cost areas that can place financial burdens on these 
 personnel;

    (2) the United States should provide for the basic needs of 
 these personnel, including by offsetting the rising costs of 
 goods and services, which are considerable in the sate of 
 California, where the overall cost of living is markedly higher 
 than the national average, including for housing, 
 transportation, groceries, and healthcare;

    (3) the current means of calculating cost of living 
 adjustment rates (in this section referred to as ``COLA'') may 
 provide inaccurate or incomplete data, which is a concern as 
 the cost of living in the 19th congressional district of 
 California may exceed the 107 percent index used to determine 
 COLA rates; and

    (4) the means for calculating COLA should be periodically 
 reviewed to ensure accuracy and make certain that the United 
 States appropriately cares for military personnel and civilian 
 employees of the Department of Defense.

    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report on cost of living 
adjustment calculations for purposes of pay and benefits for members of 
the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense 
whose permanent duty station is located in the 19th Congressional 
District of California. Such report shall include--

    (1) an explanation of the methods used to collect data and 
 the factors used to determine such cost of living adjustment;

    (2) an assessment of the appropriateness of including in 
 the calculation of such cost of living adjustment the presence 
 of military commissaries or exchanges;

    (3) the evaluation of the Under Secretary of--
        (A) whether any locations within the 19th 
 Congressional District of California should be 
 considered a high-cost area for purposes of chapter 67 
 of volume 7A of the Department of Defense Financial 
 Management Regulation;
        (B) whether the existence of a military commissary 
 in Monterey, California, provides substantial financial 
 support that affects the determination of a cost of 
 living adjustment; and
            (C) the advisability of providing certain areas 
 within the 19th Congressional District of California 
 with an increased cost of living adjustment; and

    (4) a comparison of the factors that contribute to a 
 determination of the cost of living adjustments that are 
 applied to Monterey, California, and Santa Clara, California.
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