Reimbursement of costs of long commutes for members assigned to remote or isolated installations in areas without affordable housing

Section 453 of title 37, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (j) Reimbursement of costs of long commutes for members assigned to remote or isolated installations in areas without affordable housing (1) The Secretary concerned may reimburse a member of the armed forces described in paragraph (2) for the costs described in paragraph (3). (2) A member is described in this paragraph if— (A) the duty station of the member is a remote or isolated installation (as defined in section 4705 of title 10); (B) the member lives more than 30 miles, or has a commute of longer than one hour, from the member's residence to the member's duty station; and (C) the member is unable to live closer to that duty station because of a lack of affordable housing and essential services near the duty station. (3) The costs described in this paragraph are— (A) (i) the average cost of fuel for the distance the member travels from the member's residence to the member's duty location; and (ii) a percentage, to be determined by the Secretary of Defense, of costs associated with maintenance and wear-and-tear on the vehicle of the member as a result of commuting; or (B) if available, the cost of taking public transportation from the member's residence to the member's duty location. (4) The Secretary of Defense shall establish guidelines for administering this subsection, including guidelines with respect to— (A) how a member can apply for reimbursement under this subsection; and (B) verification of— (i) the distance a member travels from the member's residence to the member's duty location, which may be accomplished through a combination of housing records and tools for measuring distance using the Global Positioning System; and (ii) the lack of affordable housing and essential services near the member's duty station..