Jimmy Panetta introduces a bill aiming to improve military housing conditions.

In February, both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives held hearings where military families from across the country shared harrowing stories of living with mold, lead paint and rats, along with pleas to private management companies that appeared indifferent. In March, military leaders publicly apologized, acknowledging they had failed to oversee the companies since the military privatized housing management in 1996.

Mold and lead paint have long been issues military families have had to confront in local housing under the command of the U.S. Army's Presidio of Monterey, which contracts with management company The Parks at Monterey Bay. The Parks and its parent companies were sued in 2011 over mold issues. Recent reviews on Yelp are mixed for customer service and the company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Genevieve Larsen, who belongs to a volunteer group of military spouses who serve as "mayors" of neighborhoods – the Monterey Bay Military Housing Mayoral Program – says she sees improved efforts to address issues.

"My experience is that the command and The Parks are 100-percent clear and honest about what the issues are, but they can't always fix them immediately," she says.

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, met with families, commanders and rental managers earlier this year to hear concerns and discuss remedies.

That has led up to a new bipartisan bill Panetta plans to introduce on Thursday, May 16, called the Better Military Housing Act of 2019. It calls for a tenants' bill of rights and tools for families to report problems confidentially. It also calls for improved communications between the military, management companies and families and increased reporting and oversight of management companies.

"It is our duty to make sure that those who serve and sacrifice, including servicemembers and their family members, have safe, clean and well-maintained housing," Panetta says.