Senate bill to boost barracks maintenance

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- A bill introduced in the U.S. Congress changes the way barracks at U.S. military bases are maintained.

The News and Observer newspaper in Raleigh, N.C., said Monday the measure came in the wake of an Internet video showing soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., living in squalid conditions complete with broken plumbing and possibly dangerous mold.

"Our soldiers deserve safe, clean housing, and anything less is unacceptable," Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., said in a written statement.

The bill would give the responsibility of barracks maintenance to a full-time base maintenance team rather than to the unit housed in the building, as is the current practice. The newspaper said the plan stems from a successful pilot program underway at Fort Hood, Texas.