WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today introduced the Military Access to Housing Act of 2007 to enable more military families to qualify for affordable housing built using tax credits.

"As we have seen with the growth in troop numbers at Ft. Riley," Senator Roberts said, "more military families are forced to live further and further away from the post, some as far away as Salina and Topeka. That puts an additional hardship on soldiers and their families."

The issue is especially troubling in Geary County where affordable housing is in high demand as more and more families are redeployed to Ft. Riley. Under the recent base realignment process, thousands of troops and their families will be posted to Ft. Riley over the next several years.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) was created by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 as an alternative method to finance housing for low and moderate income households in private developments. It is managed by the states and has been one of the most successful housing programs ever created by Congress.

Unfortunately, LIHTC guidelines are inconsistent and often harm the families of some enlisted military personnel whose basic allowance for housing makes their income too high to be eligible for LIHTC homes.

"The basic allowance is not true, disposable income," Senator Roberts said, "Soldiers cannot spend their basic allowance on groceries, car payments, or going to the movies. It is not counted as income when soldiers file their income taxes and, therefore, it should not be counted as income when they apply for housing built using tax credits. My legislation takes the basic allowance out of the formula for eligibility for LIHTC housing."

"In Kansas, this is especially necessary when there is safe, affordable housing around Ft. Riley that could be available for our service members if it weren’t for the inconsistencies in the guidelines," Roberts said.

Senator Roberts, a former Marine and former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is an outspoken advocate for men and women in uniform and their families.