§ 2825. Improvements to family housing units

(a)

(1) Authority provided by law to improve existing military family housing units and ancillary family housing support facilities is authority to make alterations, additions, expansions, and extensions.

(2) In this section, the term “improvement” includes rehabilitation of a housing unit and major maintenance or repair work to be accomplished concurrently with an improvement project. Such term does not include day-to-day maintenance and repair work.

(b)

(1) Funds may not be expended for the improvement of any single family housing unit, or for the improvement of two or more housing units that are to be converted into or are to be used as a single family housing unit, if the cost per unit of such improvement will exceed

(A) $50,000 multiplied by the area construction cost index as developed by the Department of Defense for the location concerned at the time of contract award, or

(B) in the case of improvements necessary to make the unit suitable for habitation by a handicapped person, $60,000 multiplied by such index. The Secretary concerned may waive the limitations contained in the preceding sentence if such Secretary determines that, considering the useful life of the structure to be improved and the useful life of a newly constructed unit and the cost of construction and of operation and maintenance of each kind of unit over its useful life, the improvement will be cost-effective. If the Secretary concerned makes a determination under the preceding sentence with respect to an improvement, the waiver under that sentence with respect to that improvement may take effect only after the Secretary transmits a notice of the proposed waiver, together with an economic analysis demonstrating that the improvement will be cost effective, to the appropriate committees of Congress and a period of 21 days has elapsed after the date on which the notification is received by those committees or, if over sooner, a period of 14 days has elapsed after the date on which a copy of the notice is provided in an electronic medium pursuant to section 480 of this title.

(2) In determining the applicability of the limitation contained in paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall include as part of the cost of the improvement of the unit or units concerned the following:

(A) The cost of major maintenance or repair work undertaken in connection with the improvement.

(B) Any cost, other than the cost of activities undertaken beyond a distance of five feet from the unit or units concerned, in connection with—

(i) the furnishing of electricity, gas, water, and sewage disposal;

(ii) the construction or repair of roads, drives, and walks; and

(iii) grading and drainage work.

(3) In determining the applicability of the limitation contained in paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall not include as part of the cost of the improvement of the unit or units concerned the following:

(A) The cost of the installation of communications, security, or antiterrorism equipment required by an occupant of the unit or units to perform duties assigned to the occupant as a member of the armed forces.

(B) The cost of the maintenance or repair of equipment described in subparagraph (A) installed for the purpose specified in such subparagraph.

(4) The limitation contained in the first sentence of paragraph (1) does not apply to a project for the improvement of a family housing unit or units referred to in that sentence if the project (including the amount requested for the project) is identified in the budget materials submitted to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in connection with the submission to Congress of the budget for a fiscal year pursuant to section 1105 of title 31.

(c)

(1) The Secretary concerned may construct replacement military family housing units in lieu of improving existing military family housing units if—

(A) the improvement of the existing housing units has been authorized by law;

(B) the Secretary determines that the improvement project is no longer cost-effective after a review of post-design or bid cost estimates;

(i) an economic analysis demonstrating that the improvement project would exceed 70 percent of the cost of constructing replacement housing units intended for members of the armed forces in the same pay grade or grades as those members who occupy the existing housing units; and

(ii) if the replacement housing units are intended for members of the armed forces in a different pay grade or grades, a justification of the need for the replacement housing units based upon the long-term requirements of the armed forces in the location concerned; and

(D) a period of 21 days elapses after the date on which the Secretary submits the notice required by subparagraph (C) or, if over sooner, a period of 14 days elapses after the date on which a copy of the notice is provided in an electronic medium pursuant to section 480 of this title.

(2) The amount that may be expended to construct replacement military family housing units under this subsection may not exceed the amount that is otherwise available to carry out the previously authorized improvement project.

(d) This section does not apply to projects authorized for restoration or replacement of housing units that have been damaged or destroyed.

U.S. Code

§ 2825. Improvements to family housing units