HR 6490

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 5, 2025

Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Wittman, and Ms. Goodlander) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to provide certain members of the Armed Forces with timely and relevant information via text message, 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. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PUSH-TEXT NOTIFICATIONS TO MEMBERS AND DEPENDENTS.

(a) Establishment.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to be known as the “Push-Text Initiative” (in this section referred to as the “pilot program”) to provide members of the Armed Forces assigned to Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa, Japan, and the adult dependents of such members with timely and relevant information via text message.

(b) Implementation.—The pilot program shall—

(1) automatically enroll all eligible members of the Armed Force assigned to the locations participating in the pilot program and the dependents of such members using all available text messaging contact information provided by such members; and

(2) provide all recipients with the ability to opt out of receiving text messages under the pilot program at any time.

(c) Covered Information.—Text messages transmitted under the pilot program shall include—

(1) information on military spouse employment opportunities, career counseling, and related support programs;

(2) updates with respect to childcare services available both on and off the installation, availability of child care, and child care fee assistance programs;

(3) information regarding general TRICARE program benefits, enrollment deadlines, and other health-related resources;

(4) notifications of changes in Department of Defense policies, regulations, or Federal laws that affect members or dependents of members; and

(5) any other information or resources that the Secretary considers relevant to the well-being of members and dependents of members.

(d) Report.—Not later than October 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. Such report shall include—

(1) a description of how the pilot program was implemented, including the timeline, execution plan, and the official managing the pilot program;

(2) data on participation and usage, including the number of individuals automatically enrolled, the opt-out rate, and the frequency and types of messages transmitted;

(3) any observed benefits or outcomes of the pilot program, including feedback from participants;

(4) an analysis of the costs of operating the pilot program and any cost savings or efficiencies achieved by consolidating or scaling back other outreach efforts with respect to issues addressed by the pilot program; and

(5) the recommendations of the Secretary with respect to the feasibility and advisability of continuing or expanding the pilot program to the entire Department of Defense, including any proposed modifications to the program and an assessment of the anticipated costs, resource requirements, and potential benefits of Department-wide implementation. <all>