To extend the SBIR and STTR programs, and for other purposes.
In Committee
Introduced:Sep 2, 2025
Primary Sponsor
Darren Soto
Representative
Democratic
FL-9
Cosponsors
6
Quick Stats
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Summary
This bill would require military commanders to quickly decide whether to allow service members with dependent children to be reassigned to a duty station closer to their child's residence. It aims to make it easier for military families to stay together when stationed far away from their kids.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill would require military commanders to quickly decide whether to allow service members with dependent children to be reassigned to a duty station closer to their child's residence. It aims to make it easier for military families to stay together when stationed far away from their kids.
Last updated: 12/30/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Military Family’s Ability to Move In Line with Your Dependents Act or the Military FAMILY Dependents Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires a commanding officer to determine, within five calendar days, whether to grant a request for the reassignment of certain members of the Armed Forces on the basis of the residence of a dependent child.</p><p>Specifically, commanding officers must make such determinations for members of the Armed Forces who are on active duty and are assigned to a duty station located more than 300 miles from the residence of their dependent child who is registered under the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.</p><p>If a commanding officer denies a reassignment request, the member may request review of such denial, and the first general officer or flag officer in the chain of command of the member must complete the review not later than two weeks after the request is made.</p><p>The bill prohibits members from being subject to any adverse action for requesting a reassignment based on the residence of a dependent child. </p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Commanders must decide within 5 days whether to grant requests for reassignment based on a dependent child's residence
Service members can request a review if their request is denied, which must be completed within 2 weeks
The bill prohibits any negative consequences for service members who request a reassignment to be closer to their child
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would directly benefit active-duty military parents with dependent children, making it easier for them to live near their kids. It could improve quality of life and retention for these service members, who often face long separations from their families due to frequent deployments and transfers.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
5100, 119th Congress (2025). "To extend the SBIR and STTR programs, and for other purposes.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5100
