[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                VETERANS' BENEFITS ACT OF 2002, S. 2237

  Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to applaud the Senate's 
action last night when it passed S. 2237, the Veterans' Benefits Act of 
2002. This important legislation will make much-needed improvements to 
veterans' disability compensation payments, Medal of Honor pensions, 
housing benefits, claims adjudications, and education benefits through 
increased funding for State Approving Agencies. I strongly urge the 
President to sign this bill into law as quickly as possible.
  I am pleased this bill also includes an important provision that will 
expand the civil protections provided to members of the National Guard 
under the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940. I worked 
closely on this provision with its sponsor, Senator Paul Wellstone. My 
late friend and colleague from the State of Minnesota was an outspoken 
advocate on behalf of America's veterans throughout his service in the 
Senate. The Wellstone-Dayton provision in this bill will better protect 
members of the National Guard in Minnesota and around the country. The 
provision specifies that National Guard members mobilized for more than 
30 days by a state at the request of the Federal Government to respond 
to a national emergency be allowed protections under the Soldiers' and 
Sailors' Civil Relief Act during their duty.
  The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act allows America's military 
personnel to have their legal rights secured until they can return from 
the military to defend themselves. It covers such issues as rental 
agreements, security deposits, prepaid rent, evictions, installment 
contracts, credit card interest rates, mortgage interest rates, 
mortgage foreclosures, civil judicial proceedings, and income tax 
payments. One of the most widely known benefits under the act, for 
example, is the ability to reduce consumer debt and mortgage interest 
rates to six percent under certain circumstances. The original 
Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act was actually passed during 
World War I. The statute was reenacted during World War II, then later 
modified during Operation Desert Storm. However, until now the Act's 
coverage has not included the National Guard as comprehensively as 
their active duty and reservist counterparts. I believe this is wrong.
  Following the terrorist attacks against the United States on 
September 11, 2001, members of the Minnesota National Guard were 
activated by our State at the request of the President to provide 
security at several major airports. As the duration of these 
activations grew to several months, I began to hear from these brave 
men and women about the stress and financial burdens that accompanied 
their service. Senator Wellstone and I were shocked to learn that, 
although the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act exists to ease 
many of these same burdens for active-duty service members and 
reservists, members of the National Guard were not similarly covered 
for these types of activations, because this service was deemed to be 
State, rather than Federal, service. This discovery led to the 
Wellstone-Dayton provision.
  Anyone who visited our Nation's airports after September 11 will not 
soon forget the contributions of countless members of the National 
Guard who, at the request of the President, contributed to a sense of 
greater security and peace of mind for air travelers by providing 
airport security. The men and women who provided these security efforts 
did so with courage and selflessness.
  In light of September 11, it seems apparent that the National Guard 
has, and ought to have, a clear role in protecting Americans from 
outside threats. Further, when the President requests the men and women 
of the National Guard take on these new missions which help to protect 
Americans from terrorism, their civil interests should be protected 
under the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act. Accordingly, I am 
happy that this will be properly ensured with the Senate's passage of 
S. 2237 last night.

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