HR5095-119

What This Bill Does

The HOMEFRONT Act creates a broad National Historic Preservation Act exemption for Defense Department military housing. Existing military unaccompanied housing and military family housing under DOD jurisdiction are exempt from the historic-preservation division unless the Defense Secretary excludes specific units by regulation. That exclusion authority is capped at one-tenth of one percent of total military housing units, and housing listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of January 20, 2025 cannot be excluded from the exemption. The bill also rewrites title 10 housing nondisclosure-agreement rules so a landlord may not ask a tenant or prospective tenant to sign an NDA in connection with entering, continuing, or ending a lease or receiving housing services; such agreements are invalid against the tenant, except settlement NDAs in litigation. The NDA rule applies regardless of when the agreement was executed.

Who Benefits and How

Defense housing managers benefit because most existing military housing is exempt from National Historic Preservation Act review. Military family housing residents benefit because landlords cannot enforce most housing-related nondisclosure agreements against tenants. Military unaccompanied housing residents benefit from the same NDA protection for barracks or other covered housing. Military installation commanders benefit if housing repairs or redevelopment face fewer historic-preservation delays.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Historic preservation offices lose review authority over most existing DOD military housing. Military housing landlords must stop requesting covered nondisclosure agreements and treat existing covered NDAs as invalid. Defense Department rulemaking staff must define conditions for excluding a small share of units from the exemption. Preservation advocates bear burden because the exemption reaches most military family and unaccompanied housing.

Key Provisions

• Exempts most existing military family and unaccompanied housing from National Historic Preservation Act requirements.
• Limits Defense Secretary exclusions from the exemption to one-tenth of one percent of total military housing units.
• Protects National Register-listed DOD housing from being excluded from the exemption.
• Prohibits landlords from requesting most military housing nondisclosure agreements.
• Invalidates covered NDAs against tenants regardless of execution date, except litigation settlement agreements.