[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PROVIDING SURVIVING MILITARY SPOUSES WITH MORTGAGE PROTECTION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 11, 2011

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 1263, ``to amend Service Members' Civil Relief Act.'' This 
legislation would provide surviving spouses of service members with 
certain protections relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosures.
  The proposed bill to amend Service Members Civil Relief Act will 
afford surviving spouses of service members who die while in the 
military and whose death is service-connected, the same protections 
against sale, foreclosure, and seizure of property currently applicable 
to their husbands who while in military service are unable to meet an 
obligation on real or personal property. It is in a spirit of deep 
gratitude and appreciation that I fight to provide for the surviving 
spouses of our deceased military men and women, in order to provide 
them with the tools they need to maintain ownership of their homestead 
after supporting members of our community who served our country. It is 
the responsibility of all Members of Congress and the Administration to 
fulfill our moral obligation to those men and women who have fought to 
protect our freedom and democracy, and the families that supported 
their courageous lives.
  In the State of Texas, we have nearly 1.7 million veterans, and 18th 
District is home to 32,000 of them. Of the 200,000 veterans of military 
service who live and work in Houston, more than 13,000 are veterans 
from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi 
Freedom. Additionally, there are almost 34,000 soldiers from Texas 
currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am pained by the numbers 
of fine men and women who have lost their lives during their 
deployment.
  As of August 2, 4,683 brave Americans have died in Iraq and 
Afghanistan since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom 
(Afghanistan) on October 7, 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which 
began with the invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. Of the total deaths, 
3,708 were due to hostile fire, and the remainder due to non-hostile 
actions (such as accident, suicide, or illness).
  In August, 66 American troops died in violence, the bulk of them 
during a devastating helicopter crash on Aug. 6, which killed 30 
special operations troops and eight Afghans on a high-risk raid. The 66 
deaths were the highest count for that war since July 2010, when 65 
Americans were killed. Nora Bensahel, a military strategist with the 
Center for a New American Security, said the numbers may not mean as 
much as they seem. ``In Afghanistan, the number of people killed 
overall was very high, but that doesn't say much about number of 
attacks--half of those [killed] were from a single incident--a 
particularly devastating one,'' referring to the Aug. 6 crash.
  Monthly American casualties in Iraq have largely been in the single 
digits for several years now, but the war there has not been without 
perils: last July, 14 American servicemen died amid fighting there, 
many of whom leave spouses and children behind.
  According to the Department of Labor, as of June 2011 there have been 
more than 2,500 coalition troops that have now been killed--with 1,644 
of them being American. Further, the Defense Manpower Data Center 
Statistical Analysis Division has identified 3,215 Americans killed in 
the Iraq war, with 23 having been from Texas. This legislation 
addresses a need to find ways to provide mortgage assistance to the 
surviving spouses of the men and women who have fought for our country.
  After dedicating their lives to serving our country it is important 
to assist the family members of deceased service members.
  In order to address this obstacle to employment, The Veterans 
Opportunity Work Act (VOW) makes the Transition Assistance Program 
mandatory. The Department of Labor must thereby create a system by 
which licensure and certifications are translatable to those available 
at the state level. This is done in an effort to address the barriers 
between the skills and training received in the military and 
requirements for civilian licenses and other credentials.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1263, to amend 
Service Members Civil Relief Act.

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