[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 151 (Monday, October 28, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7579-S7580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Begich, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Durbin, 
        and Mr. Tester):
  S. 1593. A bill to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to 
enhance the protections accorded to servicemembers and their spouses 
with respect to mortgages, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I introduce the Servicemember Housing 
Protection Act along with my colleagues Senators Begich, Whitehouse, 
Durbin, and Tester. Our country has a strong tradition of ensuring that 
our service members are protected while they serve to keep our nation 
safe. Building on such laws and efforts, in 1940, as World War II 
escalated across the globe, Congress enacted the Soldiers' and Sailors' 
Civil Relief Act ``to protect those who have been obliged to drop their 
own affairs to take up the burdens of the nation.'' In 2003, Congress 
passed a new version of this law to reflect the new challenges of post-
9/11 service and renamed it the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, SCRA. 
Since that time, Congress has further amended this law, most recently 
in August 2012, in order to address the country's high foreclosure 
rates and their impact on service members.
  Additionally, in 2010, when it became evident that military families 
needed an entity to serve as a watchdog, provide education, and help 
monitor and respond to concerns, questions, and complaints about 
consumer financial products and services, I led the bipartisan effort 
during the Dodd-Frank Act debate to create a new Office of 
Servicemember Affairs within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 
CFPB.
  The Servicemember Housing Protection Act continues in this vein, and 
seeks to address one such ongoing challenge--helping service members 
with their housing needs so they can maintain a focus on the difficult 
task of protecting our country.
  First, this bill would make it easier for service members to claim 
deployment-related financial and credit protections by expanding what 
could be submitted to constitute ``military orders.'' Currently, 
creditors require a copy of military orders in order to trigger SCRA 
protections. However, these orders are often not cut until just before 
deployment or once the service member is already deployed, placing a 
burden on some military families as they try to work with banks to 
secure SCRA protections. Broadening the scope of what could be 
submitted to trigger protections before orders have been received would 
further ensure that service members have more time to prepare for 
deployment and promptly receive SCRA protections, including the 
interest rate limitation of six percent on qualifying mortgages.
  Second, this bill would extend foreclosure protections to surviving 
spouses. Currently, service members have a 1-year window of foreclosure 
protection following service, to provide time to reacclimate to 
civilian life and get their personal affairs back in order. Our bill 
extends this one-year window of foreclosure protection to a surviving 
spouse who is the successor in interest to the home. After suffering 
such an unspeakable loss, a military spouse should not have the 
additional burden of dealing with immediate foreclosure.
  Lastly, this bill would help facilitate the transition from off-base 
to on-base housing. Due to the shortage of on-base military housing, 
many service members temporarily find off-base housing until on-base 
housing becomes available. When a service member on a waiting list is 
given the chance to move into on-base housing, he or she is sometimes 
unable to terminate his or her off-base housing lease. Including an

[[Page S7580]]

order or opportunity to move from off-base to on-base housing as 
additional grounds for lease termination would allow service members 
and their families the chance to move into the military housing 
community. Several States, including Florida, Georgia, and Virginia, 
have similar laws, and we should extend this opportunity to service 
members serving at any of our military bases.
  While the men and women of our Armed Forces are protecting our Nation 
overseas, we should do everything possible to protect their families 
and homes. I urge my colleagues to join Senators Begich, Whitehouse, 
Durbin, Tester and me, as well as the Military Officers Association of 
America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, in supporting this bill, and 
taking these next steps to add protections for our military families.
                                 ______