A bipartisan coalition of Senators and House members have introduced legislation to expand the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to give additional legal protection to service members impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Military families are being impacted by orders to stay at their current duty station after they received orders and made plans to move,” Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee Chair Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said in a press release. “Our bipartisan legislation will help provide much needed assistan[ce] and additional legal protection for military families in this situation and therefore have lease commitments in two locations.”
The SCRA can postpone or suspend financial or civil obligations for service members who are on duty or deployed. It can protect them from foreclosures, evictions or repossession of a vehicle. The bill would also cover lease terminations, the lawmakers said.
“By helping slow the spread, these military families have suffered unintended financial hardship due to their service,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said in the release. “That’s why I’m proud to support this permanent legislative fix to expand SCRA protections and help relieve the financial burden on these servicemembers.”
Photo by Staff Sgt. Oz Suguitan
