Policies to support military families subject to court-ordered child custody arrangements

(a) Policies required Beginning not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary concerned shall maintain a policy pursuant to which a member of an Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary who is a party to a court-ordered child custody arrangement may, at the discretion of the Secretary, receive— (1) an exemption from orders for a permanent change of station or similar orders for a period of up to 24 months to enable that member to remain in geographic proximity to their child; and (2) such other accommodations as the Secretary determines appropriate to promote family stability. (b) Report to Congress Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary concerned shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the policy required under subsection (a). The report shall include— (1) a summary of the policy; (2) the Secretary’s plan for implementation of the policy; and (3) an explanation of how policy meets the requirements of subsection (a) and otherwise promotes family stability among members of the Armed Forces. (c) Secretary concerned defined In this section, the term Secretary concerned has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code.