HOMEFRONT Act of 2025
The HOMEFRONT Act of 2025 would reduce formal National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) oversight for certain Department of Defense (DoD) military housing by creating a targeted exemption. Specifically, it would exempt facilities under DoD jurisdiction that are used as military unaccompanied housing or military family housing from NHPA requirements, with a few important safeguards: (a) the exemption applies to units as of the enactment date, (b) the Secretary of Defense can exclude a limited number of units from the exemption under regulations (subject to caps and conditions), and (c) units listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of January 20, 2025 may not be excluded. In short, the bill aims to streamline housing operations and development for DoD housing by reducing historic-preservation review requirements, while preserving a narrow protection for historically listed properties and preserving management of excluded units under NHPA until the Secretary revokes the exclusion. Separately, the bill tightens protections related to privatized military housing by prohibiting landlords from requiring tenants to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in connection with leases or housing services, with an exception only for settlements of litigation. The NDA provision is made retroactive, applying to existing NDAs as well. This combination of provisions signals a shift toward faster development/maintenance of military housing and greater transparency for privatized housing conditions.
Key Points
- 1Exemption from NHPA for DoD military housing: The act would exempt military unaccompanied housing and military family housing from NHPA requirements, with the exemption applying to units under DoD jurisdiction as of enactment.
- 2Cap on exemptions: The total number of units exempted cannot exceed 0.1% of the DoD’s total unaccompanied and family housing units.
- 3NRHP-listed properties protected: Units listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of January 20, 2025 may not be excluded from the exemption.
- 4Secretary’s exclusion authority: The Secretary may exclude certain units from the exemption under regulations, but exclusions are limited by the cap and must be managed under NHPA until the Secretary revokes the exclusion.
- 5Privatized housing NDA prohibition: Landlords of privatized military housing may not require tenants or prospective tenants to sign NDAs in connection with leases or related housing services; such NDAs are invalid unless part of a settlement in litigation.
- 6Retroactive NDA application: The NDA prohibition applies retroactively to all NDAs covered by the provision, regardless of when the agreement was executed.