To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to provide certain members of the Armed Forces with timely and relevant information via text message, and for other purposes.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6490 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6490

  To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to 
 provide certain members of the Armed Forces with timely and relevant 
         information via text message, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 5, 2025

  Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr. Bacon, Mr. 
  Horsford, Mr. Wittman, and Ms. Goodlander) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to 
 provide certain members of the Armed Forces with timely and relevant 
         information via text message, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PUSH-TEXT NOTIFICATIONS TO MEMBERS AND 
              DEPENDENTS.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot 
program to be known as the ``Push-Text Initiative'' (in this section 
referred to as the ``pilot program'') to provide members of the Armed 
Forces assigned to Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa, 
Japan, and the adult dependents of such members with timely and 
relevant information via text message.
    (b) Implementation.--The pilot program shall--
            (1) automatically enroll all eligible members of the Armed 
        Force assigned to the locations participating in the pilot 
        program and the dependents of such members using all available 
        text messaging contact information provided by such members; 
        and
            (2) provide all recipients with the ability to opt out of 
        receiving text messages under the pilot program at any time.
    (c) Covered Information.--Text messages transmitted under the pilot 
program shall include--
            (1) information on military spouse employment 
        opportunities, career counseling, and related support programs;
            (2) updates with respect to childcare services available 
        both on and off the installation, availability of child care, 
        and child care fee assistance programs;
            (3) information regarding general TRICARE program benefits, 
        enrollment deadlines, and other health-related resources;
            (4) notifications of changes in Department of Defense 
        policies, regulations, or Federal laws that affect members or 
        dependents of members; and
            (5) any other information or resources that the Secretary 
        considers relevant to the well-being of members and dependents 
        of members.
    (d) Report.--Not later than October 1, 2027, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. Such report 
shall include--
            (1) a description of how the pilot program was implemented, 
        including the timeline, execution plan, and the official 
        managing the pilot program;
            (2) data on participation and usage, including the number 
        of individuals automatically enrolled, the opt-out rate, and 
        the frequency and types of messages transmitted;
            (3) any observed benefits or outcomes of the pilot program, 
        including feedback from participants;
            (4) an analysis of the costs of operating the pilot program 
        and any cost savings or efficiencies achieved by consolidating 
        or scaling back other outreach efforts with respect to issues 
        addressed by the pilot program; and
            (5) the recommendations of the Secretary with respect to 
        the feasibility and advisability of continuing or expanding the 
        pilot program to the entire Department of Defense, including 
        any proposed modifications to the program and an assessment of 
        the anticipated costs, resource requirements, and potential 
        benefits of Department-wide implementation.
                                 <all>