[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8757-H8758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROTECTING FAMILIES OF FALLEN SERVICEMEMBERS ACT
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4356) to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow
certain individuals to terminate contracts for telephone, multichannel
video programming, or internet access service, and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4356
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 ``Protecting Families of
Fallen Servicemembers Act''.
SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS FOR TELEPHONE, MULTICHANNEL
VIDEO PROGRAMMING, OR INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE
BY CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS UNDER SERVICEMEMBERS
CIVIL RELIEF ACT.
Section 305A(a) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50
U.S.C. 3956(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
``(4) Additional individuals covered.--For purposes of this
section, the following individuals shall be treated as a
servicemember covered by paragraph (1):
``(A) A spouse or dependent of a servicemember who dies
while in military service or a spouse or dependent of a
member of the reserve components who dies while performing
duty described in subparagraph (C).
``(B) A spouse or dependent of a servicemember who incurs a
catastrophic injury or illness (as that term is defined in
section 439(g) of title 37, United States Code), if the
servicemember incurs the catastrophic injury or illness while
in military service or performing duty described in
subparagraph (C).
``(C) A member of the reserve components performing
military service or performing full-time National Guard duty,
active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as
such terms are defined in section 101(d) of title 10, United
States Code).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P.
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 4356, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4356, as amended, the
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.
Mr. Speaker, this bill was introduced by Representative Josh Harder
from California, and I thank him for his work with the committee on the
bill. It expands on the work the committee did last Congress in
partnership with Representative Bustos to improve the Servicemembers
Civil Relief Act.
This bill ensures that spouses and dependents of both Active and
Reserve component servicemembers who are catastrophically injured or
pass away while in service to this Nation have protections under the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, otherwise known as SCRA. Specifically,
the bill allows impacted servicemembers or their families to terminate
cable, internet, and phone service.
Servicemembers and families undergo difficult life transitions
because of a catastrophic injury or death of loved ones. Families
should have the flexibility to be at the servicemember's side during
recovery. Surviving spouses and family members of fallen servicemembers
should easily be able to move closer to family and friends or other
support networks. Families dealing with the difficult loss or injury of
their loved ones should not have to worry about contracts or
cancellation fees.
I would like to note that this legislation unanimously passed the
House last Congress and has been updated to reflect improvements
recommended by veterans service organizations.
I also thank Dr. Wenstrup, who served with us on the committee for
several Congresses, for his focus on the issue and for working with Mr.
Harder on this bill.
Finally, I thank the Paralyzed Veterans of America for highlighting
the need to include catastrophically disabled veterans and families in
our work to improve the SCRA.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the bipartisan work of Congressman Levin and
Congressman Bilirakis on moving this bill through committee.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in voting to
pass H.R. 4356, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4356, as amended, the
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.
Mr. Speaker, this bill would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief
Act to give a spouse or dependent of a servicemember who experiences a
catastrophic injury or who dies while in military service the ability
to terminate telephone, multichannel video programming, or internet
service contracts.
This bill would also extend SCRA protections to members of the
National Guard and Reserve who are executing Active Duty orders or
performing inactive duty training. These are worthwhile protections for
our servicemembers and are worthy of our support.
This bill is sponsored by Congressman Josh Harder from California,
and I appreciate his work.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), my good friend. Dr. Colonel Brad
Wenstrup is a combat veteran of Iraq who is still on Reserve duty and
has served at both Fort Belvoir Hospital and Walter Reed Hospital.
Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Roe for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4356, the Protecting
Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.
[[Page H8758]]
Mr. Speaker, as a member of the armed services, I know how important
it is to protect the families of those who serve when tragedy strikes.
That is why I was proud to join Representative Harder to introduce this
legislation, which will allow the spouses and dependents of
servicemembers who are killed or catastrophically injured in the line
of duty to terminate their phone, internet, and TV contracts without
penalty.
Last year, the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 passed
the House with overwhelming support. That legislation included a number
of changes to existing law to protect our servicemembers and our Gold
Star families.
However, due to a drafting error, the bill only allowed
servicemembers, not their spouses and dependents, to end their phone,
internet, and TV contracts without penalty. This bill corrects that
error and ensures that grieving families are able to terminate
contracts, giving them the freedom to relocate based on the needs of
their families.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for
advancing this legislation to the floor, and I urge all Members to
support this bill.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this is commonsense legislation--I talk
about this a lot when I go home--about a grieving spouse, a husband or
wife, who has lost a family member in combat in service to our country.
I saw many of those this past weekend, as many of us did, as we
attended veterans events.
I can't think of anything worse than being a spouse who is in a city
that is unfamiliar to them, away from family, and to have these
contractual obligations through our catastrophically injured veteran or
a deceased veteran.
It is the right thing to do. Everywhere I go and talk about this
throughout the country, our fellow Americans want this done.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this much-
needed legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my friend and colleague from Tennessee,
Ranking Member Roe. This is commonsense legislation. We should not
compound the suffering of a family, whether they are caretakers or
grieving, with the complications that they may not be aware of, which
are these continuing contractual agreements for cable, internet, or
other types of contractual agreements of the sort. This bill addresses
a way for families to easily terminate these contracts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R.
4356, as amended, 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. Takano) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4356, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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