June 11, 2020

Warren applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Expand Protections for Military Families Impacted by COVID-19

Legislation expands the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide additional legal protections for military families during pandemic

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in applauding the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan bill to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and provide additional legal protections for servicemembers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

The senators’ legislation expands SCRA protections to servicemembers who were previously issued orders to change duty stations but, due to the global pandemic, received a stop movement order and may have a housing or car lease in two different locations.

In addition to Senator Warren, other cosponsors of this legislation included Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.).

Senator Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has worked with members of both parties to enact legislation that strengthens financial protections for military families. She recently introduced bipartisan legislation, the Leasing Relief for Dependents of Fallen Heroes and Injured Servicemembers Act, that would allow adult dependents of deceased or catastrophically injured servicemembers to terminate residential and car leases without financial penalty under certain conditions. The Leasing Relief for Dependents of Fallen Heroes and Injured Servicemembers Act is the third bipartisan bill that Senator Warren has introduced to provide leasing relief for servicemembers and their families.

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