[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 44 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2183-H2184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HELPING HEROES KEEP THEIR HOMES ACT OF 2009

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3976) to extend certain expiring provisions providing 
enhanced protections for servicemembers relating to mortgages and 
mortgage foreclosure, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3976

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Heroes Keep Their 
     Homes Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ENHANCED PROTECTIONS FOR SERVICEMEMBERS 
                   RELATING TO MORTGAGES AND MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE 
                   UNDER SERVICEMEMBERS CIVIL RELIEF ACT.

       (a) Extension.--Paragraph (2) of section 2203(c) of the 
     Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-
     289) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting 
     ``December 31, 2015''; and
       (2) by striking ``January 1, 2011'' and inserting ``January 
     1, 2016''.
       (b) Protection for Surviving Spouse.--
       (1) In general.--Section 303 of the Servicemembers Civil 
     Relief Act (50 U.S.C. App. 533) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Protection for Surviving Spouse.--With respect to a 
     servicemember who dies while in military service and whose 
     death is service-connected, this section shall apply to the 
     surviving spouse of the servicemember if such spouse is the 
     successor in interest to property covered under subsection 
     (a).''.
       (2) Effective date.--Subsection (e) of section 303 of such 
     Act, as added by paragraph (1), shall apply to a surviving 
     spouse of a servicemember whose death is on or after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Tom Perriello of Virginia 
for introducing H.R. 3976, the Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act of 
2010. Mr. Perriello is one of the first-term members we have on our 
committee. They are incredibly active and committed. Mr. Perriello hit 
the ground running in his first year and is here today with a bill that 
will make an immediate difference in the lives of our Nation's military 
veterans.
  I yield to Mr. Perriello to explain the bill.
  Mr. PERRIELLO. Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand in support of H.R. 
3976, the Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act, a bill that I introduced 
to help ensure that our veterans have the resources they need to 
confront the myriad of challenges in today's economic environment.
  Homeownership is the touchstone of the American dream. H.R. 3976, the 
Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act, will reauthorize home foreclosure 
protections to prevent lenders from foreclosing on veterans' homes 
within 9

[[Page H2184]]

months after the end of military service. Unfortunately, some of the 
protections established in Public Law 110-289 are scheduled to expire 
at the end of this year. This bill will ensure that these critical 
protections remain available to our veterans.
  H.R. 3976 is a commonsense bill that has been supported by the Iraq 
and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the 
American Legion, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. I 
appreciate the bipartisan support on this bill, the chairman's 
leadership and others', and I urge all members of this body to join me 
in supporting our military families by voting in favor of this bill.
  Mr. STEARNS. Madam Speaker, if I might digress, I just wanted to 
thank Mrs. Halvorson on H.J. Res. 80 for introducing the resolution, 
and the chairman and Mr. Buyer for bringing that joint resolution to 
the floor. I think that is important to remind all of my colleagues.
  Madam Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 3976, as amended, a 
bill to extend certain expiring provisions providing enhanced 
protections for servicemembers relating to mortgages and mortgage 
foreclosure.
  Madam Speaker, Public Law 110-289, the Housing and Economic Recovery 
Act of 2008, extended the protections against foreclosure and related 
actions on servicemembers' homes contained in the Servicemembers Civil 
Relief Act from 90 days to 9 months following lengthy deployments. 
Extensions of these protections will sunset December 31, 2010.
  To address the continuing lengthy deployments by our servicemembers, 
the Veterans Home Preservation Act of 2010 would simply extend the 
mortgage-related sunset days contained in Public Law 110-289 through 
December 31, 2015. The bill also adds a new clause that would apply 
these same mortgage protections to a surviving spouse of a 
servicemember who dies while in military service and whose death is 
service connected.
  Madam Speaker, these are good provisions that are appropriate given 
the current economic climate. I thank the authors of the bill, Mr. 
Perriello, as well as Chairman Herseth Sandlin and Ranking Member 
Boozman for their fine work, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee 
chairman, Mr. Filner, and Mr. Buyer, the ranking member, for bringing 
this legislation to the floor.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.
  Mr. STEARNS. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
3976, as amended, a bill to extend certain expiring provisions 
providing enhanced protections to servicemembers relating to mortgages 
and mortgage foreclosure.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that these protections 
are still needed. Two years ago or so we went through this major 
foreclosure crisis. We unfortunately, have not solved it and expect a 
recurrence, and we must protect and serve these brave men and women in 
uniform with the same commitment and dedication with which they 
protected and served us.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 3976, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
3976, ``Helping Heroes Keep their Homes Act of 2009,'' a bill that will 
prevent mortgage lenders from foreclosing on a veteran's home after 
their service.
  Strengthening comprehensive programs by investing in our veterans, 
requiring housing counselors to grant more housing opportunities at 
each Veteran Affairs centers is the right thing to do. It is my 
distinct honor to stand here today to support a bill that will allow us 
to show our appreciation to our veterans who are in danger of losing 
their homes and possibly becoming homeless.
  I really find it unacceptable that an estimated 131,000 veterans are 
homeless on any given night after honorably serving their country. We 
are doing our veterans a great disservice. We owe our veterans the 
utmost respect, appreciation, and definitely a home to come home to 
after serving as a member of our Armed Forces. In these challenging 
economic times, we must do more to provide for our veterans basic 
needs. H.R. 3976 shows that all Americans take pride in our veterans 
service to this Nation, and just as the military doesn't believe in 
leaving a soldier behind on the battlefield, I believe that I speak for 
all Americans that we don't believe in leaving our veterans behind . . 
. we must help them push forward.
  In these challenging economic times, with returning veterans 
experiencing unemployment rates in the double digits, we must do more 
to provide for our veterans' basic needs. This legislation shows that 
the U.S. is grateful for our veterans' service. Just as the military 
pledges to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, this Nation will 
leave no veteran behind when they come home. This bill will allow us to 
show our appreciation and honor the service of veterans who have served 
this country and who now look to us to serve their needs.
  Madam Speaker, these veterans have given great contributions and made 
incredible personal sacrifices so that all of us in this country might 
live in a safe and secure nation and world. Ensuring that our veterans 
are safeguarded from losing their homes is a small step towards 
repaying the insurmountable debt that all of us owe to all veterans. We 
must do everything possible to let our veterans know how much we value 
their service. We would be irresponsible and ungrateful if we acted 
otherwise.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3976.
  Mr. FILNER. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3976, as amended. I 
have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3976, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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