Lawmakers propose new council to oversee scandal-plagued private military housing system

[Tony]

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers dismayed by persistent unsafe conditions in privatized military housing are pushing for the creation of a council to provide oversight, collect public complaints and report its findings to Congress.

Bills introduced in the Senate and House this week call for a new Military Housing Readiness Council to serve as a focal point for accountability after years of sluggish efforts by the Defense Department to improve poor housing. The group would be comprised of Defense Department officials, service members, military families and military housing experts.