S. 5693: Transportation Relief for Servicemembers at Remote Locations Act of 2026

This bill would require the Department of Defense to reimburse certain servicemembers for the costs of long commutes to remote or isolated military installations when they cannot afford to live closer to work.

What counts as a covered servicemember

A servicemember would qualify if all of the following are true:

• Their duty station is a remote or isolated installation as defined in existing law.
• They live more than 30 miles away from duty, or their commute takes more than one hour.
• They cannot move closer because there is not enough affordable housing and essential services near the installation.

What costs would be reimbursed

The bill would require reimbursement for either:

• the average fuel cost for the distance traveled to and from the duty station, plus a percentage of vehicle maintenance and wear-and-tear costs determined by the Secretary of Defense; or
• if available, the cost of public transportation between the servicemember’s home and duty station.

How the program would work

The Secretary of Defense would have to create rules for how servicemembers apply for reimbursement and how the military verifies eligibility. Those rules would include methods for confirming the commute distance, which could use housing records and GPS-based distance tools, and for confirming that affordable housing and essential services are lacking near the installation.

Practical effect

In plain terms, the bill is meant to help servicemembers who are stationed in remote places but have to live far away because housing near base is not affordable or available. It would offset some of the extra transportation costs they incur from commuting long distances.

Relevant Companies

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