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To amend title 37, United States Code, to exclude the basic allowance for housing from the calculation of gross household income for purposes of the basic needs allowance for eligible members of the Armed Forces.
To amend title 37, United States Code, to exclude the basic allowance for housing from the calculation of gross household income for purposes of the basic needs allowance for eligible members of the Armed Forces.
Summary
This bill amends federal military pay law to exclude the basic allowance for housing (BAH) from the calculation of gross household income when determining eligibility for the basic needs allowance for active-duty service members. Currently, the BAH is counted as income in the eligibility calculation, which can prevent some military members from qualifying for basic needs assistance even if they face financial hardship. By excluding the housing allowance from income calculations, the bill would make it easier for eligible military members to access the basic needs allowance, which provides supplemental support to service members facing financial difficulties.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
8 cosponsors
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA)
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH)
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA)
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA)
- Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT)
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY)
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA)
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Jimmy Panetta’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $19,200
- NFP $15,500
- APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT $13,500
- ROCKET CENTRAL $12,000
- FOLKTALE WINERY $7,760
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Jimmy Panetta → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Sep 8, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. · house
- Sep 8, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 8, 2025
Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Riley of New York, Ms. Goodlander, and Ms. Jacobs) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To amend title 37, United States Code, to exclude the basic allowance for housing from the calculation of gross household income for purposes of the basic needs allowance for eligible members of the Armed Forces.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. BASIC NEEDS ALLOWANCE: EXCLUSION OF BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING FROM THE CALCULATION OF GROSS HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF AN ELIGIBLE MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES.
Section 402b(k)(1)(B) of title 37, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking “in the case” and all that follows through “portion of”; and
(2) by striking “that the Secretary concerned elects to exclude” and inserting “paid to such member”. <all>
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